The Princess and the Hunter
by RedHeadedFlame
Summary: She was born in palace surrounded by gold. He was born in a cottage surrounded by dough. She was taught how to dance and sing. He was taught how to hunt and bake. They came from opposite worlds but were forced to gain each other's trust. This is the story of the Princess and her Hunter boy.
1. Chapter 1: Prologue

**A/N: Welcome to my latest fic. It's a bit different from the previous things I have written but Everlark are very much at the centre. There is more magic and fantasy in this story and the witch mythology described in this chapter has aspects of the witches storyline in the CW's series _The Originals_. This is only the prologue but I have the first full chapter written and hope to have that posted in a couple of days. After that updates should be every Monday. Hope you enjoy and let me know what you think.**

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_Prologue_

The blonde girl wakes with a start, gasping for breath and sitting bolt upright. Her blue eyes frantically scan the murky surroundings as she tries to piece together what has happened to her. We have her trapped in an underground cave. A mangy rat scampers across our toes. A strong stench of sulphur itches the nostrils.

The girl's eyes widen in fear as she catches sight of Enobaria's golden cat like eyes glint with mirth as she sharpens her nails into claw like talons. Cashmere chuckles as she stirs a pot of softly bubbling potion. Eventually the girl's eyes fixate on me and she freezes in place as she catches my stony stare.

"Who are you? Where am I?" she asks, the panic clear in her voice.

I roll my eyes. Always the same questions. Who are you? What do you want? Are you going to kill me? It was amusing at first to see their terror and know that was the last emotion they were going to feel. It made me feel powerful. I was in control. But their stupid questions have become tiresome.

"Don't fret yourself sweetheart. You are here for the greater cause," I reply as I walk over to her and brush a strand of hair off her face.

She freezes at my touch as the realisation of who we are hits her.

"You're the Tribute witches," she states. "You're the ones bringing darkness over the Districts."

The girl raises her hand to try and defend herself with her magic but I am too quick for her and raise my own hands to cast her back against the wall with my own spell. I conjure a rope from thin air and it spirals round her wrists to keep her in place. I drop my hands breathlessly once she has been secured. Magic is getting harder to perform. The binds are not as tight as I would like. They are not cutting into her skin to make her bleed. This is another clear sign that our magic is getting weaker. The need for the sacrifice to be completed grows ever more imperative.

"I wouldn't bother trying to use your magic. Cashmere over there has kindly fed you a drink locking your powers in your body for the next 20 minutes," I say.

The girl looks over to Cashmere's smirking profile and shrinks back against the sticky wall of the cave.

"And trust me, you won't be needing it after that," Enobaria adds, walking over and flashing a grin that shows off the pointed ends of her teeth.

"I know what you are trying to do. But you don't need to do this. There are other ways to keep our magic!" she pleads.

I chuckle lightly.

"You are wrong Miss Undersee. You must feel your magic weakening. Every day we don't act causes us to lose our bond with our ancestors. Witches lore dictates that we need to make a sacrifice every red moon to ensure our magic is secured. Just be thankful that you are helping your people continue with their destiny," I say.

The girl shakes her head frantically, tears threatening to fall. I let out a heavy sigh. I really hate the criers. Cashmere's sister, Glimmer, was unbearably shrill as she begged for our mercy.

"We've all had to make our sacrifices. We are all members of original families. I had to sacrifice my sister, Enobaria her cousin and Alma her daughter. But it's the price we must pay for being fortunate enough to descend from the original families. It was our bloodline that created this power and it is our duty to sustain it," Cashmere states as the prowls over to join us.

The 3 of us stand in a triangle formation looking down at the terrified young girl. She is a pretty young thing with long blonde hair tied up in a neat knot and innocent baby blue eyes. I am sure she will have left some poor boy broken hearted back in her village. But that doesn't matter. She has a destiny to fulfil.

Our magic is bound to the ancestors of the 5 families that founded our power. Over the years our magic weakens as our link to our ancestors deteriorates. The only way to strengthen the bond is to complete a blood sacrifice before the red moon disappears. This moon appears every 500 years and stays in the sky for 6 months illuminating the night sky in a fiery haze. 5 daughters, one from each original family, must be given to reinforce our link with the ancestors and secure our magic for the next 500 years. If the sacrifice is not completed our magic is lost forever.

I am not about to let the thought of losing 5 silly young girls' lives deter me from retaining my power.

For too long the magic in these lands have been squashed and hidden as fear of our power has caused the nobles who run the Districts to subdue us. The Kingdom of Panem is made up of 12 Districts each run by one reigning Royal family. Not all are aware of our existence and the ones that are are determined to hide us. But I will not be suppressed any longer.

Cashmere, Enobaria and I have created a small coven, known as the Tribute Witches, that is slowly gaining control of the Districts. We've recruited further suppressed magical beings including the tracker jackers and lizard mutts to march in and overthrow villages. We use our spells and potions to manipulate and control the residents to ensure they bend to our will.

But as the departure of the red moon approaches the magic holding these villages weakens and our control over them loosens. Currently we are in command over many villages including ones in Districts 1,2 and 4. With our power returned to full strength we aim to control all 12.

"Be a good girl and sit still while we complete this. Trust us, it will be a lot less painful for you if you do," Enobaria says as she floats a cup of the elixir of death over.

The girl squirms as Cashmere pins her down and Enobaria forces the sickly concoction down her throat. The girl is more stubborn than I gave her credit for and some of the purple liquid dribbles down her throat as she glues her lips together in fierce determination. This one doesn't want to die.

But Enobaria's magic is stronger than the girl's will and she pries her mouth open with a common spell. Once the potion is forced down her throat the three of us begin chanting the incantation that will seal the ritual.

The girl continues to wriggle and squirm as the potion makes its effects known. She begins screaming as the poison enters her bloodstream, boiling her blood and disintegrating her organs.

We continue our chanting as she begins to weaken and slowly grow still in our arms. Her screams quieten to whimpers as the life slowly drains out of her.

Eventually her whole body goes limp and we reach the end of our spell. I feel the jolt of power surge into my body as her magic is transferred to us. Cashmere, Enobaria and I all smile as the fourth part of the sacrifice is completed.

Glimmer Diamond, Clove Anderson, Lavinia Coin and Madge Undersee. Four out of the five girls have be obtained and given back to our ancestors. Only one more is required to complete the sacrifice and reenergise us to full power. Only one more girl to allow us to gain control of the Districts:

Katniss Everdeen, the Royal Princess of District Twelve.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I am glad people were intrigued by the prologue. This is the first proper chapter of the story and I will warn you now that Katniss is a bit OOC but as you will see she has had a very different upbringing then the one she had in the books. She will become more like book Katniss as the story progresses. Hope you enjoy!**

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Chapter 1

_Katniss_

"Wake up! Wake up! It's a big, big day!"

My royal escort, Effie Trinket, bursts into my room, rattling off my schedule and exclaiming how important this day is. The palace servants follow promptly behind her as they begin preparing my room for the morning. I groan slightly as the maids yank the heavy curtains open bathing my room in sunlight. The morning light and Effie's bright pink hair blind my sleepy eyes as I wake from my slumber. As usual Effie is in another extravagant and luminous outfit. The rosy pink colour of her hair closely matches the colour of her gauzy and frilly dress. Numerous gold bangles jangle and chime as she waves her hands about the air.

My childhood nurse, Sae, enters behind and brings me a mug of steamy hot cinnamon tea. I smile gratefully at my childhood caretaker who is now so old her features almost disappear in her wrinkles. I take the cup of tea and greedily slurp it down. Effie catches sight of my not so delicate method of drinking and scowls.

"Katniss! That is no way for a princess to take her tea! Whatever will Prince Gale think if he sees you drinking tea in such a common manner!" she exclaims.

I roll my eyes as I make a great show of placing the cup daintily down on its saucer. Sae shares an amused smile with me as she goes about preparing my gown for the day.

"I am sure there are far greater misdemeanours I could commit that would offend the Prince more. You are always telling me that I should love the whole person, faults and all. The Prince will just have to love this fault of mine," I reply a little cheekily.

Effie narrows her eyes at me. She knows I am not taking her complaint seriously. She is a stickler for manners and detests anyone who does not meet her high standards. I have spent all 16 years of my life being told how to talk, walk, sit, stand, laugh, drink tea. It becomes a tiresome chore to maintain it all the time.

"Today is a very important day. This is the first time you will meet the Prince. You do not get a second chance at a first impression. Do not come sobbing to me if he refuses to marry you for being indecent and vulgar!" Effie exclaims.

I roll my eyes again which just earns me another scowl from Effie.

"The travelling party is scheduled to arrive at noon. I would advise you to be fully dressed and groomed by the time he arrives," she adds tersely before barking orders at the remaining servants and storming out the room.

The atmosphere calms once she is gone and I take it upon myself to get up and prepare myself for the day. Effie is right about one thing. Today is a big day.

Sae looks at me with a smile as she adds the lavender bath salts to the large marble bath tub in the corner of my room.

"You know the more you antagonise her, the more she will harass you about it," Sae says with a knowing smile.

I let out a loud sigh as I perch on the edge of the tub and skim a hand across the top of the warm water.

"I know. It is just tiring having to maintain the image all the time. Part of me just wants to burst out of the palace grounds and run about naked in the woods. Have no binds or responsibilities," I say.

Sae puts a sympathetic hand on my shoulder. She has looked after me since the day I was born and my father before that. She is well aware of the pitfalls of being an Everdeen. She has always been there to lend a sympathetic ear or comforting hug. There is no one else I trust more with my troubles.

"It is just all part of your royal duty. Do not let anyone tell you being a princess is easy," she replies.

I place a hand over her withered one on my shoulder and give it a thankful squeeze. I know I can always rely on her to support me. However my thoughts soon turn back to what Effie had said earlier.

"What if what Effie said is true? What if I offend the Prince and he does not like me?" I say.

Sae gives me a small smile and tucks a strand of my long dark hair behind my ear.

"How can he not like you? You are the most beautiful girl in District 12. You are smart and kind. He would be a fool not to fall in love, with you" she says.

I blush a little at her compliments.

"I hear he is handsome. Even more handsome than his older brother. And he is brave. They say he got chased by a pack of wolves but managed to slay every single one. I have heard that he captured the golden stag with a single shot," I say.

Sae smiles again.

"He sounds like a fine young gentleman. I am sure he will make a wonderful husband," she replies.

I smile at her, patting her hand and then getting up to ready myself for my bath.

I have been eager to meet Prince Gale of District 3 for a few years now. My father is King of District 12 and has had an understanding with King Hawthorne of District 3 for many years. It had been agreed between them that King Hawthrone's second son, Gale, would marry me when I came of age. Prince Gale will become my king and help me rule the District while at the same time maintaining a close link with his home District.

With my 16th birthday last month it was decided it is time that Prince Gale and I meet for the first time and begin our courtship. I have heard many stories about the 18 year old Prince and how brave and handsome he is. If the palace gossipers are to believed he is the most eligible bachelor in all the Kingdom. I have excited butterflies in my stomach at the thought he will be mine.

Sae helps bathe me, dress me and arrange my hair into elaborate braids that are pinned to the top of my head. She dusts down the flyaway hairs that have landed on my deep green velvet dress. The dress has to be the best one I own, designed by the newest palace designer, Cinna.

The dress has long sleeves and a scooped neckline that enhances my womanly curves and a floral motif on the bodice. I cannot stop looking at myself in the tall mirror. I have dressed in many pretty gowns over the years but this has to be my favourite. I feel like the most beautiful girl in the whole world in this dress.

There is a knock on the door and I turn round to see my parents standing in the doorway. My mother actually sighs as she catches sight of me and comes over to tell me how beautiful I look. I reply with a big smile as I get giddy at the thought of the Prince seeing me like this.

My father stands back for a moment as he takes in the sight of me in this dress. He has a smile on his face but I can see the sadness in his eyes as he sees his little girl all grown up.

"You have grown into a marvellous young woman," he says as he comes over to join my mother and I. He takes my hand once he reaches me. "Prince Gale will not know how lucky he is to have you."

I smile at him gratefully and pull him into a warm embrace.

"You will always be my favourite man," I say into his ear as I hug him.

I have always been close to me father. We are similar in many ways. I share his dark hair and grey eyes and we both have a love for the outdoors and music. Being an only child means all his love and attention is pinned on me. He taught me to sing and dance and ride a horse. I have huge respect for the man who by day ruled the District but by night became my knight in shining armour as he fought make believe beasts with me.

Father chuckles lightly but this soon turns to a coughing fit and he is bent double as the raggedy coughs take over his body.

"Papa are you okay?" I ask as I bend down to rub soothing circles on his back.

Sae, my mother and I all share a worried look. It is getting worse.

My father developed a lung infection last winter after a bout of pneumonia. The illness left his lungs severely weakened and the healers say it is only a matter of time before they give out completely. It cannot be predicted when it will happen, only that he will slowly deteriorate, becoming bedridden before eventually passing on.

The thought of losing my father terrifies me. Your parents are one of the few constants in your life and life without him is unimaginable. But as each month goes past I see the illness take a greater hold of him. I know sooner than I will like I will have to come to terms with him gone.

My father's illness is another reason for my meeting with Prince Gale. As sole heir to the throne I will have to rule the District once my father has passed. It is written in old law that a Queen cannot rule the District without a King by her side. My marriage to Prince Gale has to happen quickly to ensure I have my king before my father's passing.

Eventually the coughing ceases and my father, a little unsteadily, pulls himself upright. He places a loving hand on my cheek as I look at him with concerned eyes.

"All is fine my Little Mockingjay. Everything will turn out well. Trust me," he says.

I give him a small smile but cannot help but worry that it will not.

* * *

At noon I stand beside my mother and father outside the palace gates with our royal sigil, a mockingjay on a royal blue background, flapping behind us. We watch Prince Gale approach with his riding party as they begin their ascent up the hill. Our palace is located a top of a grassy hill, looking down at the crowded capital city at the bottom. Colourful flags can be seen gently flapping in the streets as a welcome for the Prince.

District 12 is the smallest District in Panem. We specialise in coal and music that we supply to many of the other Districts in return for the various goods they provide. The coal mines are located in the tall Snow Mountains that mark the southern boundaries of our District and where the majority of our population lives. The rest of the District is made up of dense forest with a scattering of small villages hidden within. We may not be the richest District in the Kingdom but my father has created a close sense of community and unity amongst the people and we are a relatively jovial District with a passion for singing and dancing. I can only hope and I can maintain his legacy once he is gone.

The Prince rides towards us with his own sigil, a lightning bolt on a black background, displayed proudly. Even from a distance I can make out the purposeful way the Prince rides up the hill.

The butterflies in my stomach continue to grow as the Prince gets nearer and nearer. Eventually the Prince and his party make it to the top of the hill and he dismounts gracefully from his black stallion.

He plucks his leather riding gloves off as he makes his way towards my father and greets him with a courteous bow.

"King Everdeen. I have to thank you for kindly offering your hospitality. I am very much looking forward to meeting your family and seeing your grounds," Prince Gale says politely.

His eyes drift to mine as he says this and I blush a little and look away. He really is as handsome as the gossipers said. He is tall, almost a foot taller than me, with a lean but muscular physique. His dark hair is cut short and his face is clear of hair. He has steely grey eyes that send a little shiver down my spine.

My father greets him warmly and introduces him to my mother and I. Suddenly he is standing directly in front of me. He smiles at me warmly as I do my best to remember and curtsy to him.

"It is lovely to meet you Princess Katniss. Words have not done justice to your beauty. You are even more beautiful than they described," he says.

I do my best to hold his gaze and try and remember everything Effie taught me about meeting a young man.

"You are too kind. I am very much looking forward to showing you the palace and getting better acquainted," I reply.

The Prince gives me another smile and a nod of the head before my father introduces him to some of the senior staff of the palace.

I keep my eyes on the handsome Prince as he makes his way down the line and politely introduces himself to all the people of importance. Every now and again his eyes flick back to mine and we share a small smile.

The Prince asks if he can be excused to rest after a long journey and my father happily obliges but not before arranging for me to give the Prince a tour of the palace after he has been properly refreshed. Prince Gale states he looks forward to it before giving me one last smile and bow and disappearing to his chambers.

* * *

I am nervous at the beginning of the tour with the Prince. I have been around adults my entire life but I have rarely spent time with a person my own age and most definitely not with a boy. I stumble over my words as I take him through glossy ballrooms and dusty libraries. As much as Effie annoys me her words about making a good first impression ring through my ears. I want him to like me but I fear I am coming across as a bumbling idiot.

However things improve once we enter the outside grounds. I have always preferred the open gardens to the confines of the palace walls. I enjoy the sweet aromas of the perfectly preened roses, the enchanting melodies of the mockingjays and the vibrant pops of colour.

I relax as we walk comfortably through the grounds and I manage to talk more eloquently about the various plants and flowers that we grow.

"You seem to have a great knowledge of plants," Prince Gale muses as we walk through the hidden garden.

This garden has been allowed to grow wilder than the rest of the grounds, with a weeping willow and tall grasses. It is one of my most favourite places.

"My mother's family owned a large number of apothecaries and she has trained me to learn about plants and their many uses," I reply.

Prince Gale nods his head.

"I think it is great that natural remedies have not been forgotten here. Back in 3 everyone is so focused on making the next technological breakthrough that they have forgotten that sometimes the simple remedies are the best," he says.

I nod my head in understanding. District 3 is the leading District in terms of technological developments. Carriages that run on steam, machines that can manufacture products without man. It seems baffling to me.

"Your grounds are beautiful," he adds. "I could spend all day exploring them. Is the game any good? I bet I could hunt down some impressive beasts."

I smile at him.

"We have a good herd of deer and a lot of grouse. I am sure father would be delighted to take you out," I say.

This seems to please the Prince and his eyes continue to scan the surroundings and take in the sounds of the bumblebees and the sight of 100 year old gnarled oak trees.

"The grounds are my favourite place too. There is something soothing about feeling the wind on your back and smelling the freshly cut grass," I say.

Prince Gale stops looking at the trees to turn round and look at me with a smile.

"I look forward to exploring these grounds with you," he says his grey eyes locked onto mine.

The butterflies do somersaults in my stomach as he looks at me intensely. I have read about love in novels and surely this giddy feeling must be something akin to it.

* * *

The rest of the tour is spent with the Prince asking me lots of questions about the grounds and the best places to hunt and ride. He seems to share my enthusiasm for the outdoors and amazes me with his many adventures in his lands back home.

We part ways in the small stone courtyard in centre of the palace. I can see my mother watching us carefully from the door as we come back.

"I had the most lovely walk with you Princess. Thank you for showing me around. I hope to see you at dinner," Prince Gale says.

He picks up my hand and gently brings my knuckles up to brush them with a soft kiss. The blush rises in my cheeks and the butterflies jump and swirl in my stomach. A small tingling runs through my body.

As they do a wilting bush of roses beside me perk up and rise in full bloom again as if by magic. Prince Gale raises a surprised eyebrow at the sight.

"Did you see that?" he asks. "I am convinced those roses came back to life!"

I try not to let the panic show in my eyes and pretend to laugh it off.

"I think you are imagining things," I tease. "Those roses were in full bloom when we arrived."

I do not know if I convince him but he seems to accept my weak answer and wishes me a good evening.

I watch him go with a relieved sigh. Why did that have to happen today?

As soon as he is gone my mother sweeps through, grabbing my wrist and yanking me behind a pillar.

"How many times do I have to tell you to keep your emotions under control? We cannot have the Prince discovering your little secret," she hisses.

I yank my arm away from her and rub the spot where her nails have dug into my arm. I scowl at her. It is not like I choose for these things to happen.

Ever since I was a child I have made strange things happen whenever my emotions are particularly raw and strong. I managed to shatter 3 huge glass windows when I was 6 after I got angry at the maid for ruining my favourite dress. When my first pony died I made it rain solidly for 3 days over the palace grounds. Every time I let my emotions get too much for me something unexplainable happens around me. I guess I can now add bringing plants back to life to the list.

I have no idea why these things happen. I do not consciously choose for these things to occur but I find I cannot stop them once I have started. All I know is that I get a small tingling sensation just as it is occurs.

Not many people know about these strange happenings. Not even my father. Only my mother and Sae. Mother encourages me to hide these instances, stating they bring no good and I will be classified as the District freak if it is ever exposed.

This has lead to many frayed arguments with my mother. She scolds me whenever things like this occur and makes me feel like an insolent child. Part of me suspects that she knows more than she is letting on but I am too ashamed of it to push her any further. As a result my relationship with my mother is not as harmonious as it is with my father.

"I did not mean for it to happen. I guess I was just happy after spending the day with the Prince," I reply.

My mother lets out a frustrated sigh.

"I have taught you how to deal with this. Whenever you feel a strong emotion you need to stop and count to 10. You cannot risk this happening again," she says sternly.

She is really annoying me now. I have just had a perfect afternoon and she is spoiling it with her criticism.

"Well maybe if you were more honest with me I would not have anything to control. I know there is something you are not telling me. Do not spoil a good afternoon," I say before storming off to my quarters.

* * *

The next few days I spend more time getting better acquainted with Prince Gale. As he suggested we explore the forests that surround the palace. I take him to the tall, tumbling waterfalls, the wide grassy meadows and the perfectly preened rose gardens. He amazes me with his ability to shoot squirrels and grouse with a single shot and I share my vast knowledge of plants. I revel in spending time with someone my own age and look forward to the moments we get to spend together. The butterflies are still present and I think I fall in love with him more and more each day.

I hear the palace staff gossip about the possibility of our upcoming wedding. The other young girls mutter their jealousies behind my back. I smile secretly when I hear these words. It makes me happy to know I have got the man who every girl wants. I know a lot of royalty in the Districts marry for convenience and not love. I cannot believe how lucky I will be to marry a man as strong, handsome and rich as Prince Gale. I can see my father is relieved that such a match has pleased me so.

During the second week of the Prince's stay it is decided that he shall accompany me on a routine trip to one of the local villages.

As future queen I make these visits once or twice a month to keep in touch with the people and in the process assure their loyalty to the throne. Although we are not officially engaged there is an understanding that an engagement will follow shortly and it is beneficial for the Prince to meet his future people.

We do not have to travel far as we plan to visit one of the villages on the outskirts of the palace boundaries. A small party of guards sets off to escort us to the village.

I sit in the closed carriage with the Prince and Effie who as usual jabbers on about schedule and giving us a minute by minute run down of what we will be doing on the visit.

"12.24 we will visit the school. Katniss you will read a story to the children and Prince Gale you will throw a ball with the boys…at 12.58 we move onto the butchers…" Effie babbles.

The Prince sits opposite me and pulls a funny face as Effie speaks. I stifle a laugh behind my hand. I have heard some of the palace staff whisper that the Prince is too stern and does not smile enough. I have not found this to be true. He is guarded when in public but I have found that he can be quite silly when we are alone.

Effie continues to drone on as the Prince and I pretend to listen and pull silly faces at each other. However Effie is stopped when we feel the carriage rock suddenly. I stick out my hands to steady myself against the carriage walls and Effie drops her schedule on the floor.

"Goodness me! Whatever was that?" she exclaims.

The Prince frowns as the carriage suddenly comes to a stop. My eyes widen in surprise. We cannot be there yet. The carriage stops for nothing.

We all freeze in silence as we strain to hear what is happening outside but we only find silence.

"I will check what the holdup is," the Prince states after a while.

Effie begins to shake her head frantically.

"You must not. Protocol states that royalty stays in the carriage at all times. I cannot be the escort that allows the Prince of District 3 to be killed!" she shrieks.

"I am sure it is nothing as dangerous as that. Probably a fallen tree blocking the path. I will go and see if there is anything I can do to help," the Prince states.

I am a bit wary of him getting out of the carriage. Something does not quite feel right but I cannot think of an argument that will make him stay.

"Be careful," I say.

The Prince catches hold of my eye and smiles at me cheekily.

"I have taken on a pack of wolves. I am sure this will be child's play," he says with a grin.

I try and smile back at his joke as he prepares to go outside. Effie is still rambling about protocol and how her head will be served on a silver platter if she lets anything happen to him. The Prince takes no notice and gingerly opens the carriage door. I peer round his side to see if I can catch what is going on but I do not get a chance to see anything as the Prince is hauled out the door and banged against the side of the carriage.

Effie shrieks and cries as the Prince slumps to the ground. My heart begins to pound in my chest and I press my back against the carriage wall. We are under attack. The Prince may be dead. Someone might be trying to kill me.

I try to unscramble all the thoughts running through my head as I try to come up with a way to escape but the next thing I know is some canister has been thrown into the carriage and it begins to fill with some white foggy substance. Effie's screams get louder and I suck in my breath trying not to breathe any of the smoke in. I try to stand in the small carriage and attempt an escape but the fog is overwhelming and I find myself becoming drowsy as a result. I begin coughing and spluttering as I slump against the floor.

I feel the weight of the carriage shift as someone else gets in. I cannot think now. I do not know how to get out of this. I do not know how to stop someone from killing me. Effie's cries have stopped suggesting she has already been overcome by the fog.

I can feel my eyes getting heavier and it gets harder for me to keep them open. I fight to keep them open as long as possible. I know I must not close them.

However as the fog continues to swirl around me my eyelids droop lower. I can feel the fog dragging me under and I realise this is it. This is how I am going to die. On the side of the road in a foggy carriage. No family around and way before my time.

I feel someone kneeling down beside me and placing a strong arm under my back and legs. I look in the direction of the person determined to see the person who takes my last breath.

The last thing I see before I am pulled under is a pair of bright cerulean blue eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: So there was a bit of speculation about who attacked Katniss and why at the end of the last chapter. This chapter will answer a lot of people's unanswered questions. Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 2

_Peeta_

The fire crackles as I poke the ashes to keep it ignited. Our white mare grazes quietly in the small clearing in the forest beside Finnick. He is busy skinning rabbits with his hunting knife and hanging the pelts from an overhanging branch. The song birds flit above our heads, sweeping and gliding as if engaged in a game. The repetitive hard whacks of Johanna's axe splicing wood ring around the small clearing we have set up as our makeshift camp.

"You need to get laid," Finnick says looking over at Johanna. "There will be no trees left in District 12 if you don't."

Johanna slams her axe down into the wood so that it sticks there and fires a fierce glare over at our friend.

"We don't all have as low standards as you. It takes more than having a pulse for me to give it up," she replies. "Or are you offering to take me for a ride? It's been a while."

Johanna wriggles her eyebrows suggestively at Finnick as she says this. I chuckle lightly as I impale one of Finnick's rabbits on a spit and leave it to roast on the fire.

"Oh Johanna, I thought we agreed after the last time that I was just too precious for you. My poor back was put out for a week!" Finnick jokes.

Johanna rolls her eyes.

"Not my fault you can't handle a woman on top. You just didn't have the stamina," she replies. She then turns round to face me with a glint in her eye. "Peeta doesn't have the same problem though."

She winks at me and I bark out a laugh. Johanna has a very high and overzealous sex drive. A fact both Finnick and I have taken advantage of in the past. Finnick is always pestering her about which one of us is the better lover. Her answer depends on which one of us has annoyed her less that week.

"We have company," I state as I tip my head in the direction of the sleeping girl in the corner.

She has been unconscious since we ambushed her carriage and plucked her from the clutches of her palace guards. She is bound to have a lot of questions once she eventually wakes so I am enjoying the peace before she does so.

I had meticulously planned her capture for the last couple of weeks and once it was clear the Tribute witches had entered District 12 with the intent to capture and sacrifice her. The plan was perfectly executed and I am pleased that this part has been successfully completed. The next part of the plan will be a lot more challenging. This girl, Princess Katniss, is the last piece they need to complete the sacrifice that will increase their power. With the red moon sitting high in the sky and turning the night sky into a raging inferno for another 2 months, the threat of danger is all the more present. We know all too well that powerful witches are dangerous.

I am a Phantom Hunter. Have been since I was 13 years old and I realised I was made for more than working the ovens in my family's bakery. Finnick and Johanna found me wondering about aimlessly after I fled the bakery 5 years ago, recognised me for who I am and took me under their wing. They are both a little older than me but in the absence of my family they have become my surrogate family. Johanna is loud and crass and Finnick a flirtatious charmer but I love them all the same.

We form a band of Phantom Hunters that track and pacify magical threats in the District. We have formed a formidable team based on honesty, trust and loyalty. We would all lay down our lives for one another.

Phantom Hunters are all born with heightened senses that allow us to hear a swarm of tracker jackers from 100 miles away or smell a pack of wolf mutts from 4 villages over. These senses strengthen over time and reach a peak around our 13th year. It is around about this time that Phantom Hunters pack up their lives and pursue the range of magical beasts around.

Magic is still quite an unknown entity in District 12. The royal family has been kept in the dark about all the magical beings that roam the land and as a result most of the District is unaware of its existence. This is not true of all the Districts and 1, 2 and 4 are very aware of magic and are currently struggling to regain control from the various magical beings that have inhabited their lands.

Most of these magical beasts live quite harmoniously in the woods and caves of District 12 but every now and again some go rogue and it is our duty to ensure the residents of District 12 are kept safe and unaware. We do all this without the palace knowing and never receiving gratitude from the people whose lives we protect.

Capturing the Princess has been our biggest task to date. Her father may be ignorant of her heritage but we have been well aware of exactly who she is for years now. With the Tribute witches on the prowl we knew we had to act fast and get to her before they did. It will be our duty to keep the Princess safe until the red moon has passed.

Johanna stalks over to the sleeping princess and scrutinises her small form.

"She's not very remarkable for a princess. I guess I expected more grandeur," she states.

I get up to join her and look down at the girl. She must be around her 16th year but sleeping soundly like this makes her look much younger. Her features are soft and her curves not too pronounced. Her dark locks are glossy and defined. There's an innocence to her looks which points to her sheltered upbringing. I guess some would call her pretty but laying here in front of me she looks little more than a sleeping child.

"Some people will find her innocence endearing," I reply.

Johanna shrugs her shoulders and walks back to her axe.

"I still don't like that we have to babysit a spoilt little princess for the next 2 months. Just look at her hands. She has never done a hard day's work in her life," she says as she picks up her axe.

My eyes fall to the Princess's dainty hands. The nails are perfectly rounded and pointed and not a single blemish mars her smooth skin. I look down at my own hands, scarred with burns and calluses after years of working with the bakery ovens and getting into scraps with various magical beasts. I resent her a little for her sheltered upbringing. She has no idea about the hardships of real life.

"We have no choice," Finnick says. "We cannot have the Tribute witches gaining any more power. We have to protect her."

Johanna swings down her axe again.

"Well you can be the one to comfort her if she breaks a nail," Johanna replies as she resumes her earlier activity of chopping wood.

Finnick goes back to skinning his rabbit leaving me to watch over the sleeping princess.

* * *

The Princess sleeps for a couple of hours longer while Johanna continues to take her sexual frustration out on the wood and Finnick and I devour 2 whole rabbits. We are sitting playing a game of checkers when the Princess begins to groan and slowly pushes herself up into a sitting position. She frowns as she takes in the tall trees in her new surroundings. Her eyes widen when she catches sight of Johanna all sweaty and with a snarling smile on her face.

"Do us a favour and don't try and run. It will only cause us to expend much needed energy," Johanna drawls sticking the axe back into the wood.

This immediately frightens the Princess and she makes a move to get up and escape. Finnick is up in a flash as he catches hold of her arms and struggles to hold her in place.

"Get your hands off me!" the Princess screams with more force than I thought she was capable of. "You know it is treason for kidnapping a royal princess!"

"Steady on there Sweetheart," Finnick says trying to placate her. "We're not the bad guys."

She doesn't like the answer and continues to wriggle and squirm in Finnick's grip. Great. I really hoped we wouldn't have to bind her. This will all be so much easier if she is willing to cooperate.

"You will hang for this! As soon as my father discovers I am gone he will send the entire District out to search for me. You will not make it 10 miles before his men have captured you!" she continues to scream.

I roll my eyes and get off my perch on a log to confront her. I bend down to look into her grey eyes.

"We are trying to protect you," I hiss. This mission will be hard enough as it is without her behaving like a stroppy child. "It would be a lot easier if you trusted us."

"And why would I trust the people that captured me and killed my friends!" she spits in my face.

"Your friends aren't dead. We just used some sleep fog to get you out," Johanna replies as she comes to join us.

All 3 of us now crowd round her and stare down at her. I have to say I am a little impressed that she has not cowered back from us. I can imagine it would be a bit intimidating to be amongst a group of stern Phantom Hunters but she holds my stare with equal intent. However I can see the relief in her eyes that the young man accompanying her is alive. I assume he must be special to her in some way. Maybe her fiancé? I don't really keep up with the palace gossip. Her body relaxes a bit after this revelation.

Sensing a weakening of her resolve I decide to try this again.

"Let's start over," I begin. "I'm Peeta, the Greek God here is Finnick and the snarly bitch next to me is Johanna. We are a band of Phantom Hunters and it is our job to protect you from the Tribute witches."

She frowns in confusion. It is clear a lot of what I have just said is gobbledygook to her.

"Am I supposed to have understood any of what that meant," she demands.

I let out a disbelieving laugh.

"Your mother really didn't tell you anything about your heritage," I say.

This just causes her frown to deepen. Johanna lets out a frustrated sigh before I explain to her what Phantom Hunters are, the Tribute witches who are made up of Cashmere Diamond, Clove Anderson and Alma Coin, what they want with her and how her mother's witch's heritage. To her credit she sits quietly as I explain it all but her eyes narrow at me in suspicion. I can tell she doesn't believe a lot of what I say.

"So these Tribute witches want to use me for some sort of blood sacrifice?" she asks for confirmation. Johanna, Finnick and I all nod our heads. She lets out an incredulous laugh. "Well they have clearly got the wrong person. My mother is not a witch. I think I would know something like that."

"Many witches choose not to practise magic. Older witches can be very skilled at keeping their magic under control," I say. The Princess just scoffs at me. "Your mother's family owned apothecaries. Aren't I correct?"

She folds her arms across her chest and pouts in silence, a sign that I am indeed correct.

"Ever wonder why their remedies worked so well? Some people made some miraculous recoveries. Only magic could have healed some of those illnesses," I carry on.

She continues to sit and stare at me, stubbornly refusing to believe what I am saying.

"Of course you have witches blood in you as well…" I add.

"I am not a witch!" she screams lurching forward at me.

I have to steady myself quickly as her move towards me causes me to tilt back and almost topple over. Her face is right up in front of mine, so close that I can see the hints of blue in her grey irises and the bridge of freckles across her nose. I stare back at her with equal intent.

"Have you ever made things happen that you can't explain? Particularly when you are angry or sad?" I say.

This stops her and she cowers back in towards Finnick. I have clearly hit a nerve. It seems there must be some magic in her.

She is quiet for a while and the rest of us all share a look. We need her to cooperate. That will only work if she trusts us.

After a while she raises her eyes to meet mine again.

"Say it is true. That magic exists and I am a witch. That there are these witches after me. Do you not think I am safest in the palace grounds, surrounded by palace guards whose job it is to protect me?" she says.

"They cannot protect you from something that they don't know exists. We know what we are up against. We are in the best position to protect you for the next 2 months," I reply.

"2 months! I cannot be kept away from home for 2 months! Prince Gale is waiting for me! He is about to propose to me!" she exclaims.

Johanna rolls her eyes in frustration and gets up to move away. So I was right about the tall young man we left behind. A lover.

"You have bigger problems than upsetting your future husband. If you go back you won't live long enough for your wedding," Johanna replies irritated.

The Princess goes to protest but I silence her with a stern glare. She once again shrinks back into Finnick. He still holds a tight grip on her.

"You can do this the easy way or the hard way," I say. "Either you agree to trust us and follow our plan or we tie you up and you are dragged along by the horse. We will take you back to the palace as soon as the red moon has passed."

Her eyes flit over to the mare that is now lying in the grass. Her eyes move back to mine. She obviously doesn't want to take the second option but that doesn't mean she is going to make this easy for us. She is a lot more stubborn that I expected.

"Fine," she concedes. "I am still royalty however. You will remember to treat me so."

Johanna shakes her head in disbelief. It's clear that she doesn't want to pander to a silly little princess. Finnick looks over at me and I give him a nod of the head. He releases his hold on the Princess and gets up to prepare more dinner. She makes a big show of rubbing the tops of her arms where Finnick had grabbed hold of her. I hold her stare for a few minutes longer checking that she won't try to run. She looks back at me with contempt.

Eventually I decide she is going to stay put for now and get up to go and join Finnick.

"We will try and make the journey as pleasant as possible for you, your Highness," I say bowing my head mockingly.

She glowers at me before I turn my back and walk away.

* * *

Finnick manages to coax her into eating some of the rabbit we had cooked earlier. He hands her a plate of the charred meat and she looks at it in disgust. I guess it is not what she is used to from the palace kitchens.

"This is burnt," she declares before pushing the plate away.

"I spent an hour trying to catch that damn thing so you better fucking shut up and eat it," Johanna snaps.

The Princess cringes at some of the crude language Johanna used. She will have to get used to it quickly. Johanna won't hold her tongue for anyone, particularly someone she thinks is too precious for their own good.

"I do not have a knife and fork," she states.

Johanna lets out an exasperated huff.

"Eat with your hands. And hurry up with it. We move out in an hour," I state picking up a bit of my own rabbit and chomping down into its charred flesh sloppily.

She scrunches her nose up in disgust as I continue to rip into the dead animal. She continues to watch me in disgust before daintily picking up her rabbit leg and nibbling along it.

This small gesture annoys me more than it should. Everything about her seems so precious and I can tell by the way she keeps her eyes trained on me that she is eating that way to piss me off. Part of me wants to lunge over to her and slam the god damn thing down her throat.

It takes her a whole 40 minutes to eat the damn rabbit and even then she leaves most of the charred bits. I get agitated as I sit and wait for her to be finished. She still needs to change before we can move on so we can't take down the tent until that is done. I will provide her with some privacy.

My left knee fidgets anxiously as she delicately dabs the crumbs from around her mouth. I spend large amounts of time planning and implementing schedules to ensure things run as smoothly and as safely as possible. It irritates me when people get in the way of these plans.

I can see Johanna and Finnick growing impatient as well. The rest of the belongings have been packed up and Maisy the horse is all set to go. Deciding I can't take it anymore I stand up and stride towards her. I rip the plate away from her and look down at her angrily.

"You're done. You need to get changed out of those clothes before we can move on," I demand.

She looks up at me challengingly.

"And what clothes would you have me wear?" she asks with a raised eyebrow.

Johanna throws down a cream tunic top, a pair of dark brown trousers, a fitted brown waist coat and a pair of knee high black leather boots.

"Wear these," she states. "They may be a bit loose on you in some areas, you don't quite have the feminine features like mine, but they should be comfortable enough."

The Princess's eyes widen in shock.

"I cannot wear these! It would be improper for me to wear men's clothing!" she exclaims.

I let out another frustrated sigh. I am fast running out of patience with her.

"Just put the god damn clothes on! You cannot go traipsing round the forest in a long dress. You will slow us down!" I yell at her.

She scowls at me before standing up so she is eye level with me. She is not that much shorter than I am and holds my gaze with a fire in her eyes and her nose inches from mine. For a brief moment my eyes flit down to her rosy lips.

"I will add blasphemy to your list of crimes," she states. "I will not be told what to do by some arrogant boy who thinks he knows better than me!"

I narrow my eyes at her. I know she is my future queen but in this moment I want nothing more than to give her a hard slap across her face. We are trying to save her. She could at least show some gratitude. But I guess she is used to getting her own way all the time. It must be nice to be waited on hand and foot, getting everything you desire and not having to lift a finger in return. If only all of us were so fortunate.

"Do whatever you want. See if I care if the dress causes you to be caught by the witches," I reply before storming off over to Finnick.

He gives me a sympathetic look as I approach and I just shake my head at him, signalling I don't want to talk about it. We need to keep moving.

Johanna makes sure the Princess follows us over, still in the ridiculous heavy and long dress and we prepare to move on to the next stopping place.

* * *

The journey is unusually quiet. I am still pissed off with the Princess from earlier and silently stew in my anger. Johanna is not much of a talker any way so it is left to Finnick to try and cheer up the mood. He starts singing some silly song about a bear that fell in love with a hare but no one else is in the mood to indulge him. He soon gives up and joins the rest of us in our solemn march.

Just as I predicted the dress is too difficult for the Princess to navigate the terrain successfully. The heaviness of it slows her down and it keeps getting caught on sharp thorns and prickly branches. Several times she catches her feet on the ends of the dress and she stumbles in the dirt. It would almost be comical seeing her trying to stay regal and elegant, all the while tripping and smearing dirt against her cheek, if it wasn't so infuriating having to stop so often.

Johanna and I glare at her whenever we have to stop to pick her up and Finnick even suggests again that she should change into something a bit more freeing. That suggestion is met with a fierce scowl and we continue on as we have been.

Finally we reach a small hidden cave by the river and decide to rest up here for the night. The entrance of the cave is small enough that it can easily be hidden by branches and leaves.

The Princess stumbles in and we give her a blanket so she can get some rest. She picks another argument about having to sleep on the floor but I am too tired and pissed off to cater to her mood. I shove the blanket towards her and go back to Finnick to help him with the fire. I can feel her angry stare against my back but choose to ignore it.

Later, when she is finally asleep and no longer moaning, the rest of us sit round the fire and try and come up with a plan on how to keep her alive for the next 2 months.

"She's stubborn that one. She is not going to make this easy on us," Finnick states.

"Maybe when we run into some real danger she will wise up and stop all her complaining. I already want to rip out her tongue and seal her mouth shut," Johanna replies.

"She'd still be able to scowl at us though," I state.

Finnick chuckles. We have already become well acquainted with her fearsome scowl. Just another thing about her that pisses me off.

"She's going to be a lot of hard work but we have to remember why we are doing this. We keep her alive and the witches' power is gone. Our lives will be a hell of a lot easier if it is," I say.

The other 2 nod their heads in understanding. We have to keep the bigger picture in mind.

"So what are our options?" Johanna asks. "Hide her and hope they don't find us for 2 months? Keep on moving every couple of days? Attack them front on?"

"Hiding in one place is not an option. It is too easy for them to do a locator spell and find us. And I don't think attacking them will work for us either. They have power we don't," I say.

I need to focus in on a plan to rid this irritation I feel towards the Princess at the moment. I need to focus in on something that isn't her fucking scowl.

"So that leaves keep on moving her. It's still going to be hard. The witches will be tracking us for certain. They won't give up until the red moon passes," Finnick says.

Johanna and I nod our heads in agreement

"Boy is she not going to like that. I bet she hasn't walked further than 2 miles in all her life," he then says, only half joking.

"Well if she only agreed to stop wearing that god damn dress," I state bitterly.

I don't quite understand why the dress bothers me so much. Everything about her seems to be getting under my skin. I have never come across a person who has irritated me so.

"What else can we do? We swore to protect her, even if she is an ungrateful moany bitch. We are all just going to have to put up with it," Johanna replies.

Finnick and I both nod our heads. We turn round to look at the sleeping Princess. She doesn't scowl in her sleep which improves her looks a lot. As much as she has infuriated me today I don't think she has quite grasped the danger she is in. As we sit and watch the red moon high in the sky I know there are going to be a lot harder things than burnt rabbit and wearing men's clothing coming at her over the next 2 months.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 3

_Katniss_

I scrub at my skin furiously as I try to get rid of the dirt that seems to settle in every crevice of my body. My fingers nails have all snapped off and been embedded with grime. Scratches from branches run up the length of my arms. My hair feels course from all the tangles. I have never been this filthy in my entire life and all I have to combat it is a cheap bar of soap that irritates my skin. I let out a frustrated sigh and throw the bar of soap angrily into the water as all my efforts come to nothing and I still feel as dirty as when I had started.

I have been travelling with these Phantom Hunters for a week now. We never stay in one place for long. They say they cannot risk the witches finding us but I hate the constant moving and lack of every day amenities. I do not think their plan is even a very good one. Father always taught me to run to your problems, not away from them. I doubt we can stay undetected for 2 months.

I am not used to walking for 10 hours a day and having to sleep on the hard bumpy ground. Every limb in my body aches and pains. I miss my silk sheets and fluffy slippers. I miss Sae's blueberry pancakes and my father's comforting stories. I would do anything for a hot bath and a day of rest.

I stomp out of the shallow pool, dry myself quickly and pull on some clothes. I hate the fact I now have to wear these silly men's clothing. The clothing is tight and I feel exposed having to wear it. But I have no other choice. The one dress I had been wearing when I got captured has been soiled with mud and smoke and it has begun to smell. Reluctantly I have had to accept these alternate clothes they forced on me. I do not know how Johanna can gallivant around the land wearing such things. Dresses are a mark of our femininity and I cannot understand why she would want to forsake them.

I trudge back the short distance to our current campsite. Johanna is sharpening knives when I reappear and gives me her usual glare. I scowl at her in return. We do not pretend to tolerate each other. I have never come across a girl who is so brazen and rude. Most of the men in the palace would blush at some of the words that come out of her mouth.

Finnick and Peeta are both sitting with their bare backs to me as they prepare for their own wash. Their identical round swirling tattoos that are the mark of a Phantom Hunter are fully displayed to me at the base of their necks. The tattoos intrigue me. The swirling pattern almost makes it look like the tattoo is moving and I find it strange that they would mark their skin in this way. It seems a strange way to display your allegiances.

Finnick turns round with a cheeky grin as he hears me approach. He puffs out his bare chest and presents me with a sugar cube.

"Sugar cube?" he asks with a grin. "It is supposed to be for Maisy over there but I think someone as sweet as you should have it."

I roll my eyes and shake my head at him with a small smile. I walk past and take a seat on the ground. Surprisingly I have grown to like Finnick. I was a bit taken a back the first morning when he sauntered around flaunting his hard chest muscles while flirtatiously teasing me. I had never seen a naked man and all the young men I have come across have been trained to keep a respectful distance from me. It is strange for a man to act such as way around me but I soon realised that the flirtations are harmless and I have begun to join in with some of his good natured teasing

"Give it to Peeta. I think he needs sweetening up," I reply.

Peeta fires me a stony glare.

"Sugar is bad for your teeth, Princess" he replies getting up off his perch. "Help Johanna prepare the squirrels. Just because you're a princess doesn't mean you get to sit around and do nothing."

I huff as he stares me down. He knows how much I hate preparing dinner. The raw meat makes me gag but he seems intent on making this journey as unpleasant as possible for me.

I have been taught my whole life to never hate another person. I have been taught it is a wasteful pursuit and as a result I have been very courteous to the many people I have met over the years. But Peeta greatly infuriates me.

From the way he patronisingly calls me Princess, to the way his stupid blonde curls fall into his eyes and the way he continually treats me like a child, he does everything in his power to annoy me. I can tell he thinks me to be a spoiled little princess who has had everything handed to her on a plate. I can feel the resentment towards me as a result.

I do not even believe everything he tells me about the witches to be true. The alternative is to believe that my mother has been lying to me my whole life.

Some of what he says would explain things. Sae has often commented that many of the things I have made happen over the years seem like magic. It could be plausible that I have witch's blood in me and it would explain the strange happenings over the years.

I struggle more to accept that there are witches after me. A blood sacrifice seems a ridiculous notion and if I am really in danger would not my mother have warned me? That is if she is really a witch. I still cannot believe she would have kept that from me.

I suppose they believe it and that is all I can do about it for now. I just do not feel in danger from a coven of power hungry witches. Being forced to travel with a bunch of Phantom Hunters seems a much more pressing problem.

I decide to not respond to Peeta's command and turn my back to him as I braid my hair. I can feel his eyes linger on me for a moment longer, he is probably give me another angry stare, before Finnick tells him to leave it and they both leave to bathe in the pool.

* * *

Finnick tries to ease the tension between us that evening as we silently eat dinner. He tries to entertain us with a tale of how he tried to catch a sea serpent in his home District of 4.

"I thought I would be clever and try to ride it! I mean the thing was 30 feet long. I thought it would be as easy as riding a horse!" Finnick exclaims.

Johanna rolls her eyes and even Peeta gives a small smile.

"The monstrous thing did a fantastic job of trying to buck me off. I didn't even know it could move that way! My poor testicles took a beating and I may not be able to procreate as a result," Finnick adds.

I giggle as Finnick demonstrates how he tried to stay on the serpent's back.

"Prince Gale once had to outrun a pack of wolves. He was very brave as he managed to slay every single one," I say wanting to join in with the story telling.

I hear Peeta scoff. I snap my attention to him and narrow my eyes.

"And why do you find that amusing? The Prince could have been killed I will have you know," I say.

"Nothing," Peeta says with an amused grin. "I am sure the Prince was very brave. I am sure he sat bravely as he watched the 50 or so guards that killed the wolves for him."

"That is not what happened!" I exclaim. "He really did kill those wolves. He told me."

"And the Prince would have no reason to lie? It is good to know you are so easily impressed Princess," he replies.

My nostrils flare in anger at his comment. Who is he to doubt the Prince's achievements? Prince Gale is the bravest man in all the Districts. It is insulting to suggest he would sit back and take credit for his guards work.

But it is Peeta's use of the name Princess that is the final straw.

"I have asked you not to call me that!" I shout getting off my seat and storming my way towards him.

I stop in front of him as I stand eye to eye to him. So close I can see the flecks of purple in his otherwise blue eyes. Peeta just grins at me smugly. I hate that stupid smug grin. I wish I could think of a way to get rid of it.

"And why ever not _Princess_. It is what you are. I cannot see why you would take offense to such a name," he says.

"It is the way you say it. Like you resent me for the title. Maybe I should start calling you Arrogant Pig. Because that is what you are. See how you like it," I reply.

"Go ahead. But I bet it doesn't bother me as much as it bothers you," he says bringing his face closer to mine. I move back slightly, uncomfortable with his close proximity and stare that seems to see right through me.

"It would not bother me if you said it less patronisingly," I state trying to recompose myself.

"I beg to differ," Peeta replies.

I breathe out heavily through my nostrils and resist the temptation to stamp my feet in frustration. He would have a field day with that.

Johanna, who has been watching the whole argument chuckles and gets up to throw some more logs on the fire.

"The pair of you bicker like an old married couple," she laughs.

I shoot her an angry glare. She just laughs in response and I see Peeta smirk. I turn round to scowl at him not amused that he is enjoying this argument.

"Don't scowl at me like that Princess. It will give you frown lines," he adds before flicking the end of my braid and turning away to collect the dishes.

I stare at him angrily for a few more moments as I try to come up with a witty retort but my brain is too clouded with fury to come up with anything and I end up just storming off to my tent. I can picture the smug grin he will have on his face as I do so.

I sit silently stewing in anger in my tent, hugging my knees and rocking back and forth trying to relieve some of the tension. I have never met someone so patronising in my whole life! I even prefer Johanna and her rude words to that arrogant pig!

It is moments like this that I miss my home and family. I want nothing more than a comforting hug from my father or Sae. I wonder how they are doing without me. Has my disappearance caused father's illness to get worse? Is Prince Gale out frantically searching for me? All these unanswered questions and I do not know if get answered.

* * *

Later Finnick appears in the doorway of my tent and asks if he can come in. I reluctantly accept. He squeezes his way through the narrow doorway and settles his large frame next to mine.

"Don't mind Peeta. He likes to have a plan and you aren't quite fitting into it," he says.

"He does not have to be so mean about it. I hate the way he talks to me like a child who is too simple to know anything!" I exclaim.

Finnick gives me a sympathetic smile.

"Peeta has had a hard start to life. Hell we all have. There are sacrifices all Phantom Hunters have to make, but Peeta, he's had it worse than most. He doesn't know how to handle someone who has had an idyllic upbringing," he says.

"My life has hardly been perfect. There are certain expectations of me," I reply.

"I know. And I am not saying your life is easy but bear it in mind that there are people out there who have it a lot tougher."

He gives me a reassuring pat on the shoulder before crawling back out of the tent. I sit and ponder his words for a while after he is gone. It is true that I have no idea about Peeta's life and the impact his past has on his life now. I will probably never understand it. He lives a completely different life to me. It would just be a lot easier if he did not resent me for mine.

* * *

The next day we rise before the sun is up to pack up and move on. I grumble about having to move again and suggest that we stay put for another day but that is quickly shot down by Peeta. I try to take Finnick's advice and stay calm around him. I will try and give him the benefit of the doubt and not try and antagonise him today. I keep my distance from him for the remainder of the morning.

We make good distance today as my feet are slowly hardening up which makes walking easier. Johanna and Finnick make a game of throwing acorns in the air and spearing them with the knives they carry. I watch them with a smile as their game reminds me of my walks in the woods with Prince Gale where he would try to impress me with his good shot.

It makes me long to be home and in the safe confines of the grounds I know. Everything back there is familiar and comfortable. I know my place and what to expect. I do not know what my role is here.

Even though I have visited many parts of the District I have never ventured into the thick depths of the forest. I realise that even the woods around the palace have not been allowed to grow completely wild and have been groomed and tamed to make them aesthetically pleasing. Out here it is truly wild with the twisted trees, grasses that have grown as tall as my head and bushes that stick out their branches like an array of sharp needles. Sets of bright eyes peer out from the undergrowth and the overhanging canopy is so dense in places that no natural sunlight gets through.

This place is unknown territory full of secrets and hidden depths. As I walk along I cannot shake the feeling that something is always watching me.

We stop for lunch in a small rocky outcrop. I settle down on a smooth large rock and nibble on some of the berries Finnick had picked earlier. The juice of the berry is tarter than I am used to but I know better than to complain by now. It will only result in me having no dinner and rumbling stomach. I am not a person who is used to hunger. I dread to think how I am going to survive the next 2 months on meagre rations. I really hope for a change of tactic at some part.

"So is this going to be your plan for the next 2 months. Keep on moving, scavenging for food whenever you can and hope the witches do not find me?" I inquire.

If there are witches out there I do not think we can outrun them until this red moon passes. And it just does not seem practical to keep moving until then.

"Yes. And if you want to stay alive it would be in your best interests to just keep quiet and follow our orders Princess," Peeta says gruffly.

All my previous efforts to try and stay civil towards him fly out the window. I do not like being told what to do. Particularly from someone who believes he is superior to me.

I rise up onto my feet and stalk towards him.

"Do not pretend that it is my life that you care about. You are only protecting me to prevent the witches gaining more power. It is not about keeping your future queen alive!" I shout.

Peeta glares back at me as he stands to meet my fiery gaze.

"Not everything in this world revolves around you. You have to see the bigger picture. We are protecting the people of District 12 by forcing the witches to lose their power. And it looks like they will need it. They are not going to get protection from a self-centred queen!" he replies.

I can feel my blood begin to boil at his words. I clench my fists so tightly that my nails pierce my skin and draw blood.

"How dare you question my ability to be queen? You do not know me. You do not know what my capabilities are!" I yell.

"I know you are spoilt and naïve. I know you are stubborn and unwilling to take advice. These are not the makings of a great queen," he sneers.

The anger continues to overtake my body sending a tingling sensation throughout my limbs.

"You do not get to judge me like that!" I exclaim sticking my hands out to shove him a little.

However the tingling in my body has intensified and before I can reach out to touch him some surge of power comes out of my hands and throws Peeta back.

The surge of power is so strong that it flings Peeta back at speed until he bangs into a tree opposite. There is a loud thump as he hits the tree and slumps to the ground dazed.

I stand in shock, my eyes wide as I try to comprehend what I have just done. I have never felt it as strong as that. I have never had that much power.

Finnick looks at me stunned and Johanna looks a little impressed. Peeta raises his head dizzily to look at me in confusion.

I cannot stand to be here any longer. I take one last look at Peeta and what I have done before turning on my heels and darting into the thick forest. I can hear Finnick calling after me but I do not care enough to stop.

* * *

I run until my legs hurt and slump down next to a tree, hiding my head in my hands and letting sobs wrack my body. I sob uncontrollably as I come to terms with what I just did.

It scares me what I have just done. I could have seriously hurt him. I may not like him but I would never want to cause anyone harm. I do not know how to stop myself from doing it again. It is becoming perfectly clear that I cannot control my "magic" and that it is dangerous for others.

I did not know I had that much power. It can only be magic. There is no other explanation for the surge of power I felt. Peeta is right. I must be a witch.

I begin to hope that what Peeta and Finnick say is true and that once the red moon has passed the witches will lose their magic. I do not want anything to do with it. Power like this is dangerous. I wish I could be rid of it now.

A breeze goes past and I get a prickly feeling at the back of my neck. My earlier feeling of being watched returns and I stop sobbing to scan my surroundings. I jerk my head at the sound of the leaves rustling above me. A twig snaps and I turn to spot a squirrel running about the undergrowth. I let out a sigh of relief and scold myself for being paranoid.

I prepare myself to get up and try and make my way back to camp. I may not enjoy being there but I am woefully unequipped to venture out on my own.

Just as I convince myself that there is nothing out there I hear it.

"Katniss," it hisses.

I freeze. That did not sound like Finnick or Johanna.

"Katniss."

"Katniss."

"Katniss."

The hisses of my name begin to fill the air and appear to be closing in on me. I spin round on the spot trying to locate what direction they are coming from but I cannot pinpoint their location.

The panic begins to over take me. I was so stupid to run off like that. I have nothing to defend myself apart from some witch powers I do not know how to control. I am as good as dead if I do not come up with a plan soon. My name continues to ring in my ears as I struggle to figure out what to do.

Finally I spot one of the monstrosities snaking its way towards me. It is about the size of a full grown man with white reptilian skin. It has the body of a man but the head and tail of a lizard. It spots me with its golden eyes and bears it sharp teeth to me in a snake like grin.

I begin to breathe heavily as more and more pop up from behind the trees. I know I should run but the fear paralyzes me. As they get closer I catch the scent of roses and blood. The smell makes me gag.

They charge closer and closer still hissing my name and I try to figure out the best way to run. I spin round but they seem to be coming at me from all angles. With rising fear I realise that I might have left it too late. There is no escape for me. I scan my immediate surroundings hoping a solution will present itself but my mind has gone blank. I cannot formulate a single thought.

At a loss for anything better to do I curl up in a ball and hope for a miracle.

I can hear the beasts approaching, their stench filling my nostrils. I curl up even tighter and cover my eyes so I do not see what it is that will eventually kill me. However just as I feel the foul smelling breath of the beast against my back it is immediately ripped away from me and I hear the sound of a sword piercing flesh.

I look up stunned to see Peeta slicing the head of one of the beasts that has attacked me. Johanna and Finnick join him soon after. Johanna impales her axe into an oncoming beast that has its jaws bared to eat me. Finnick spins and turns like a dancer as he fights off beast after beast that approaches.

Peeta finishes dealing with the beast that is attacking him before rushing over to me and scooping me up in his arms. He carries me a few paces further into the forest and places me down in a partially hidden badge set. I cower further back into it, terrified of the carnage that is occurring outside.

Peeta ensures I am safely tucked away, smoothing a hand down the side of my cheek, forcing me to look into his bright blue eyes.

"Stay put," he says with urgency. "Please try and stay alive."

For the first time I do not feel patronised. I can see genuineness in his eyes with this comment. He is trying desperately to keep me safe.

I nod my head and he gives a sharp nod in return. He checks once more that I am safe in here, covering the entrance with some fallen branches and darting off to rejoin the fight.

The branches block out most of the sunlight and I cower in the darkness. I cannot see anything from my hiding place but I hear the hisses of my name and the sound of steel on flesh. At one point I hear a human cry and I wonder who it is. Johanna, Finnick or Peeta? I do not want to think of who have might have gotten hurt. I screw my eyes shut and cover my ears to try and it all block out. I feel like I am trapped in some sort of nightmare. This is what is supposed to happen in fairytales, not in real life.

Eventually the noises begin to fade and the smell of blood fills the air. It sounds like the fighting has stopped but I am too scared to move. I sit in the badger's den with my knees pressed against my chest and my arms held tightly round them.

Suddenly a bit of fern is moved out of the way of the entrance and I jerk back, scared of what I will have to face. I am relieved to see Peeta's blue eyes staring down at me with concern. His curls are all sweaty and stick to his forehead and there is a streak of blood across his cheek but he otherwise seems unharmed.

"Are you alright?" he asks reaching into to check me for injuries.

I can only nod lamely at him.

If I had any doubts about the Tribute witches they are gone now. Those lizard beasts were no ordinary animal. They are the stuff of children's nightmares and could have only originated from magic. Magic is very much a real and present danger. I cannot even begin to imagine all the other magical beasts that are out there waiting for me.

Those beasts chanted my name. They were tracking me. They were sent after me. Someone wanted me dead. I am in far greater danger than I originally thought.

The reality of the whole situation comes tumbling down on me and I cannot stop the tears that overwhelm me. I begin sobbing into my hands and Peeta quickly reaches in to comfort me. He pulls me out of the badger set and carries me in his arms. He holds me close as he lets me sob into his tunic.

"Shh," he soothes. "You are safe now. I will protect you."

I hiccough into his chest and nod my head as I bury further into his chest. The tone of voice is the kindest I have ever heard him speak to me. For once his words soothe me instead of irritate me. I cannot deny that Peeta saved my life. I will owe him for that for the rest of my living days.

He carries me back to Johanna and Finnick. They are both covered in blood and Finnick helps Johanna patch up a nasty looking gash on her arm. I am glad that they are all relatively unharmed. I do not want people dying for me.

The tears continue to silently roll down my cheek and I cling to Peeta in a desperate attempt to feel safe and grounded.

I do not know if my life will ever be the same again.

* * *

**A/N: So this was the first introduction of some of the beasts Katniss and Peeta will be facing. A lot of the creatures they will meet will be based on canon mutts. The magic will play a bigger part in this story from here on out.**

**Thanks for all the support people are giving me. You all make me smile.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Some people were a little worried about how passive Katniss was when facing the lizard beasts in the last chapter. I did warn that she will be out of character to begin with but we will see that this will be a big turning point for her and she will slowly start to become a much stronger character and one who is not just some damsel in distress.**

**First a little insight into Peeta's head. Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 4

_Peeta_

I carry Katniss back towards Finnick and Johanna. Blood is congealed in the hairs on the back of my neck and my shoulder stings from the long cut the lizard mutt managed to inflict on me. It was a hard fight. The tails of the mutts are long and sharp and they use them like a whip whenever your back is turned. Johanna received a particularly brutal snap on her forearm and I can see Finnick dutifully stemming the flow of blood with moss and a strip of cloth. Finnick looks relatively unscathed, just a few minor scratches, but his normally quaffed bronze hair has flattened and sticks to his forehead like a wet rag. Katniss is clinging to me with her arms around my neck, silently sobbing into my blood stained tunic and looking as white as a sheet. She has been shocked into silence by the reality of what has just happened.

But it could have been a whole lot worse.

After she fled the rest of us bickered about what we should do about her. Finnick wanted to go after her immediately while Johanna suggested we find her and tie her up for the remainder of our time protecting her. I was still too dazed from being thrown against the tree to really focus in on a solution.

However our bickering abruptly stopped when our tattoos began to burn and our senses picked up the presence of the lizard mutts only a few miles away. The tattoos burn against our skin when magical beings are within a one mile radius of us and we all favour one of our senses over the others. Johanna smelt the mutts' stench of blood and roses before the rest of us while Finnick and I heard the low hiss of Katniss's name. All our arguing had clouded our senses and the mutts were a lot closer than we should have ever allowed them.

We sprinted off to find the Princess and battle the mutts that threatened her safety.

Johanna narrows her eyes at Katniss and I as we approach but is interrupted from voicing her thoughts as Finnick tightens her bandage. She jerks her arm away as Finnick accidentally nips her skin.

"Ow! You bastard! Careful with those hands!" she exclaims.

"That's not what you said at the spring festival," Finnick replies with a cheeky wink.

The festival was the last time Johanna and Finnick decided to share a tent.

Johanna thumps him in the arm and Finnick pretends to look hurt before Johanna secures the bandage around her arm.

I look at them both with a serious look on my face.

"We need to move," I state. "The witches know where we are. I don't want to sit around and find out what they send next. We need to keep her safe."

The joking mood between Finnick and Johanna disappears and Johanna stands up to march towards me and the Princess. She glowers at the Princess causing her to burrow further back into my chest. I shift the Princess's weight as the pain in my injured shoulder begins to sting. Johanna continues to glower at her.

"It would be a hell of a lot easier if she didn't try and run off!" Johanna exclaims. "Do you know how much danger you put yourself in? We are doing everything in our power to keep you alive but you seem intent on sabotaging our plans you ungrateful bitch!"

The Princess flinches at Johanna's words but she makes no sound in return. The whole experience has shaken her and I can sense the numbness taking over her body. There are no fiery comments in retort this time.

"Give her a break Johanna. It is the first time she has come across anything like that. You must remember how scared you were in your first fight," Finnick says.

"I was fighting to save my family. I didn't have time to be scared. She needs to toughen up quickly. There are worse things out there," Johanna replies coolly.

The Princess stares back at Johanna with wide and terrified eyes. Dealing with the present is the only thing she can deal with at the moment.

"It's partly our fault too. We should have sensed the mutts before she ran off. They shouldn't have been allowed within 20 miles of her," I say.

Johanna fires me an angry glare.

"You were the one that got in a fight with her. If you hadn't been too busy bickering with her we might and detected them sooner," she replies.

I can't disagree with her. I have let my annoyance towards Katniss cloud my judgement. I have not been at my most alert as I have been focusing all my energies on arguing with her. I need to put away my petty judgements and focus on the task at hand. If the last hour has taught us anything it is that the witches have an army of creatures all willing to do battle for them.

Johanna and I continue to stare each other down. Both of are us too stubborn to admit out loud that we are wrong.

"Peeta's right, we should get moving. We don't want to take any more risks," Finnick says breaking the tension between Johanna and me.

I break our staring contest first and make a move back to the rocky outcrop where we left our supplies. The pain from my shoulder burns brighter having carried Katniss in my arms for so long and I'll need to put her down to rest soon. Finnick picks up his trident as he follows me closely behind while Johanna continues to throw venomous stares at the Princess as we make our way back. The Princess stays in my arms with a stony silence.

It is decided it is best for the Princess to ride the horse for the remainder of the day so she sits side saddle on trusty Maisy with me supporting her from behind. She has barely let go of me since I pulled her out of the badger den. I know all too well the need to cling onto something solid after a terrifying ordeal. She still hasn't said a word and while the tears have dried they have been replaced by a blank stare looking off into nothing in particular. The numbness in her body has truly set in.

Her silence unnerves me a little. I have become used to her fiery outbursts and stubborn determination but the ordeal has revealed that inside she is still just an innocent and vulnerable young girl. Seeing her so vulnerable and child like gives me a strong desire to protect her from any more harm.

I suddenly realise how overwhelming this all must be for her. She has been plucked from her home and all that she knows and loves, forced to travel with a bunch of strangers while trying to escape from a coven of power hungry witches. A lot of older and more experienced people would have had a complete emotional breakdown by now. I gain a new sense of admiration of how she has handled it all so far. Moaning over a lack of amenities is nothing compared to the emotional outbursts she could have had.

We arrive at a small clearing at the edge of a cliff. There is a 30 foot drop on the other side leading to a thick and dark forest below. From this vantage point we can see dangers approaching from 100 miles away. We are determined to not make the same mistakes as we did today.

The Princess slips off the horse and retreats to her tent once we have finished setting up the camp for the night. She is pale and shaky and it is clear that her body has shut itself down from emotions. I empathise with her for the first time since we captured her.

I am all too aware of the numbness that overtakes your body after an ordeal such as today. After the initial shock, fear and panic subside as your body slowly shuts down one sense at a time. You become aware of nothing around you, not the breeze against you skin or the taste of food in your mouth. Your body becomes an empty shell as it tries to suppress the loss and fear that threaten to overwhelm you.

I fight on a daily basis to keep my demons at bay and avoid the trauma that they could bring me if I let them in.

I stare at the closed door of her tent as Finnick and Johanna prepare a meagre dinner of leftover rabbit and berries. There was no time to hunt today as we tried to put as much distance between us and the lizard mutt site as possible. The Princess has been through a lot today and I can only hope that she is strong enough to pull through it.

"Those lizard mutts were interesting today," Finnick muses as we tuck into our meal. "It's been a while since we last fought them. I swear they have gotten at least a foot bigger. Still as slow as ever in combat"

I bob my head in agreement.

"I have never heard them chant a name like that before. I didn't realise they could be used as tracker mutts," I reply.

There are certain magical beasts that can use their magic to track specific groups or individuals, the most notorious being the tracker jackers. These are giant wasps that will not stop their pursuit until they have found and killed their target. Up until now I had not been aware that lizards mutts had such power to do so.

"Most likely the witches put some sort of spell on them. It's clear they really want the girl," Johanna says.

Another round of bobbing heads from Finnick and I. The witches' danger is all to present. It is clear they are desperate for the Princess and desperate people do desperate things.

As I sit and ponder the Tribute witches I am drawn back to earlier in the day when the Princess managed to throw me back with her magic. The force of power had been huge and I had felt as flimsy as a rag doll as she threw me back against the tree.

"There's something special about her. When she threw me back against that tree, I have never felt magic that strong. It felt like I was being hit by a battering ram," I say.

Finnick furrows his eyebrows in thought as I speak.

"The witches' power is supposed to be weakening. We saw that for ourselves when we spoke to the Seam witches about the sacrifice," I add.

"She didn't know she was a witch until a week ago. That is a lot of built up power over the years. Maybe she's releasing it all now," Johanna suggests.

"Possibly," I say. "Imagine if she had known she was a witch all these years. Imagine the magic she could have performed with the training she could have had to control it!"

"Wistful thinking. We have no idea if her magic would have been any stronger if she had known. I think today just showed us how much she hates you. You know their magic is tied to their emotions," Johanna replies with a smirk.

I glare at Johanna and she barks out a laugh. After what happened today I am less inclined to having the Princess hate me. I have a new found empathy towards her. I want her to trust us to help her stay alive for the next 2 months.

Johanna gives me another smirk before she throws a berry in the air and catches it with her teeth before getting up and preparing to settle for the night. I turn to Finnick and he gives me a shrug of the shoulders before he gets up to prepare for bed. The Princess's magic doesn't intrigue him as much as it does me.

We agree that I take first watch over the Princess tonight. Johanna crawls into her tent declaring she better dream about the butcher's boy tonight. Finnick jokingly offers to act out the role of the tall dark skinned son of the butcher but Johanna just flips him off before settling in her tent. Finnick decides to sleep under the stars tonight and gives me a nice display of his sculpted chest as he lies down. I smile at their antics before setting up my own position at the entrance of the Princess's tent. Her tent looks out over the edge of the cliff and I stare off towards the large red moon in the sky imagining a simpler life in a small village with a family's laughter around a bakery oven.

I have to fight harder than most nights to keep my demons away. I always do when I have faced mortal peril. Every time I survive I have to fight the guilt of still being here. Flashes of the images that haunt me appear behind my eyes. The head of the rolling pin being raised. The flames of fire licking around the side of the building. I have to screw my eyes shut and clench my fists to try and banish the images away. I can't think about that tonight. Not when there is a terrified young girl to protect.

The air is remarkably still. There is not a single breeze to ruffle the trees or bushes. No midnight animals scamper over the ground. I would almost call it peaceful it I hadn't witnessed what I had today. My mind rushes through the images of the fight and how close we were to failing our mission.

I reach round the back of my neck to rub the skin of my tattoo. Around the age of 13 and 14 the swirling tattoo begins to appear at the base of every Phantom Hunter's neck. It grows in size and darkens in colour until your first kill of a magical beast. The swirling patterns show the story of your time as a Hunter. In my tattoo you can see the long tail of a lizard mutt and the sting of a tracker jacker hidden within in it. The skin around it still stings a little from our fight earlier today. Depending on the intensity of the fight it can take a few hours for the tattoo to completely stop burning from the presence of the beasts.

Suddenly the silence is broken by a shrill scream that seems to echo and bounce around the clearing. I snap my head round in the direction of the sound and pinpoint its location as coming from inside the Princess's tent. My heart begins to pound at the thought of failing her once again. I immediately dart inside to rescue her from whatever evil that pursues her. I curse myself for being so lax around her. How could something have got into her tent without me noticing?

However when I push back the flap of the tent I realise that there is no magic or mutt trying to harm her.

Her sheets are crumpled up around her waist leaving her long slender legs exposed as they thrash around. Her body contorts and squirms as she tries to escape whatever nightmare she is in. The only demons attacking her tonight are in her mind.

She continues to cry and thrash around and my heart tightens at the sight of her trapped in this nightmare. I know exactly what it is like to be locked in a nightmare you cannot get out of.

I move towards her and grab her shoulders to try and keep her still. I start shushing her and encouraging her to wake up as I try to pull her out of the dream.

"Wake up Katniss. It's just a dream," I say.

I repeat my gentling shushing and keep a tight hold on her until eventually the jerking movements stop and her eyes fly open, filled with terror and she grips onto my arms for support. She is breathing heavily and a drop of sweat runs down her forehead. There is a panicked look in her eyes that I am all too familiar with.

"Peeta?" she asks as her eyes focus in on me and she tries to come to her senses about where she is.

Her grey eyes hold mine, searching for the reality of the situation.

"Yes. I'm here. It was just a dream. It wasn't real. You are safe," I reply.

She looks at me for a long moment as she comes to terms with the dream. She is shaky so I pull her close to my chest and wrap my arms around her. She lets out a small sob into my chest and my hand makes its way to her head to start rubbing massaging circles into her scalp.

"It felt so real. The panic and fear as they bore down on me. Their sharp teeth inches away from my face and their beady eyes glowing in the darkness. I had to stand back and watch as they tore apart my family. I wanted to help but I was paralyzed to the spot. My father's head was presented to me on a silver platter," she sobs.

"I know. Our subconscious likes to play cruel tricks on us," I reply as I continue to rub soothing circles on her head and back.

We sit in this tight embrace for a long while, my chin resting on top of her head as she balls her fists into the fabric of my tunic and I let her cry and recover from her nightmare. We don't say anything as her body slowly stops shaking and her tears dry to a stop. We both know I won't be able to keep her safe from her nightmares but I am content in the knowledge that all I can do for her now is be here to support her.

Eventually she shifts in my arms and tips her head up to look at me. Her eyes are red and puffy and her hair is tangled and matted but I am drawn to the brilliant silver of her irises. They seem to shine in the darkness with hope.

"I am sorry to bother you. I did not wish to disturb you with my nightmares," she says.

I smile at little at her royal politeness. A day ago it would have irritated me but now I find it strangely endearing. I feel like we have a better understanding of each other now. We have this shared experience. My line of work is difficult to understand if you have not experienced it. I feel after today she now realises exactly all we are trying to do for her.

"It's not a problem. I get them too," I reply smoothing the hair off her face.

"About lizard mutts?" she asks.

I shake my head. A flash of charred wood and a teenage cry flit in and out of my head.

"Sometimes there are worse demons than magical beasts," I reply solemnly.

She frowns a little at my answer but doesn't push me any further. We sit wrapped still in each other's arms with neither of us in any rush to move.

"I did not thank you earlier for saving my life, especially after what I did to you before. I apologise for that too. I do not know what overcame me. My magic has never been that strong before. I will always be in your debt," she says.

I smile at her. This is the first time she has acknowledged that she has magic.

"You do not owe me anything. It is my duty to protect you. And as for throwing me against a tree, well I was being a bit of an ass," I reply.

She smiles for the first time since we rescued her from the lizard mutts.

Proud of myself that I have managed to cheer her up after her nightmare, I lay her back down and tuck her into her sheets. She watches me with curious eyes as I pull the sheet up to her chin and stroke a piece of hair back at the side of her head.

"You need to get some sleep Princess. We still have a long journey ahead of us," I say softly.

She continues to look deep into my eyes and I suddenly become reluctant about leaving her. I linger longer than I probably should as she continues to watch me.

I finally turn round to go but she catches my wrist and pulls me back. I am spun round to find her sitting upright and giving me a pleading look.

"Will you stay with me?" she asks softly.

My head knows I shouldn't. She is a princess and the future queen of this District. It would be crossing a boundary sharing a tent with her. But her look is so innocent and hopeful that I find myself being drawn back to her.

I move towards her and settle myself down beside her while trying to keep a respectful distance from her. She watches me carefully before turning her back to me and tugging on my arm so that it is wrapped around her waist.

Her thick hair gets fills my nostrils but she is soft and smells like pine needles. I tense at first, knowing how improper this should be but against my better judgement I finding myself relaxing. I pull her closer into my chest as I wait for the sound of her shallow breaths that notify me that she has fallen back asleep.

She is fast asleep moments later and I close my eyes as I try to join her in a hopefully peaceful slumber. I do not want my own nightmares plaguing me tonight.

I think about how this girl keeps surprising me. At the beginning of the day I would not have predicted this is where I would end up. My opinion of her has changed. Her bratty outbursts were just a sign of a young girl missing her home. I now find her innocence and vulnerability endearing. I will do anything to protect this girl, whether it be from mutts or nightmares, and continue to be there if she ever needs me.

As sleep begins to pull me under I whisper the answer to her earlier question.

"Always," I reply.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 5

_Katniss_

The stench of blood and roses fills my nostrils. The huge lizard mutt comes hurtling towards me with its arms outstretched while hissing my name. I am frozen to the spot. My limbs are heavy and I am helpless to do anything other than stand there waiting for the monstrous creature to take me. I can barely hear the hisses of my name over the sound of my hammering heart. The fear and panic are back. The mutt is only a few feet in front of me when I close my eyes to block out this nightmare. I sense it reaching out to claim me but am surprised to feel calloused fingertips on my scalp instead of the sharp talons I had been expecting.

"Shh Katniss," a voice says.

The voice sounds far and away and echoey as if I am trapped under water and someone is calling my name. It doesn't match the tone of the mutt's hisses. Slowly it becomes clearer. I realise that the voice is soft and kind. I feel the paralysis in my body lifting as the hand on my head continues its ministrations. This can no longer be the mutt that is chasing me. A pair of strong arms wrap around me and this seems to soothe me. The smell of the body pressed against me is familiar but I cannot quite place it. I keep my eyes screwed shut as I wait for my heart to stop racing.

Somewhere inside I know this is only a dream. The mutts haven't been chasing me again. It is just another nightmare. I am safe for now. There is no need to feel fear.

I can feel myself being pulled out of my slumber as the warm presence continues to massage my scalp soothingly. My eyelids begin to flutter open as I get ready to rejoin the land of consciousness.

When I eventually open my eyes I am met with a pair of impossibly blue eyes. The blue eyes look back at me full of concern as I realise that the massaging fingers in my dream are a reality. There really is someone rubbing soothing circles into my dark tresses.

When he sees me staring he jerks his hand back and squashes it down beside him.

"I'm sorry. You looked like you were having another nightmare and I was just trying to make it better," Peeta says looking down embarrassed. I slight blush rises in his cheeks at the realisation he has been caught.

It all comes back to me in a rush. The nightmares. My screams. Peeta's arms comforting me. Even now we lie face to face with only a few inches separating us.

I have never been this close to a boy before let alone ever have one hold me like Peeta did last night. Young men in the palace were taught to keep a respectful distance from me at all times and Effie had made it clear that any intimate touches should be saved for marriage. I should feel embarrassed about what happened last night. I let Peeta see me at my most vulnerable. I should be ashamed for asking him to stay.

And yet I feel contentment as I wake this morning. I had been in the middle of a nightmare but he was able to pull me out of it. His touch was soothing and comforting as I woke.

After last night I know I misjudged him slightly. I saw in his face that he has his own demons yet here he is helping me. He was kind to me last night in a way he has never shown before. For the first time I did not feel judged or patronised by him. He had genuine concerns for my wellbeing that were based on empathy. I do not know what it is that haunts him but we shared a moment together centred round shared demons. I feel like last night linked us together in some way.

Peeta pulls his eyes back up to mine when I do not reply. I can now see the nervousness in them about our current position. He still has an arm wrapped loosely round my waist and the tips of our toes brush under the sheets. He knows we should not be embracing like this.

I stay silent as I stare at him curiously.

I study him properly for the first time since I met him. He is handsome, that cannot be denied. It is in a different way to Prince Gale. Peeta is a lot shorter and stockier but this only seems to emphasis his strength. He has a strong jaw and a sprinkling of freckles across his nose and cheeks. His blond hair looks almost golden in the soft morning light that filters through the thin tent canvas. But it is his eyes that are his most striking feature. I have never seen eyes that blue, as blue as the crystal clear water of the beaches of District 4. There is a sparkle in them but one that seems to hide an underlying sadness, a sadness I am not certain I will ever be privileged enough to know. I become transfixed by their beauty. I cannot stop staring into them as I try to work out this boy in front of me.

I feel something strange stir inside of me. He is looking back at me now with equal curiosity. My heartbeat begins to quicken but for an entirely different reason than the one in my dream. My curiosity to know him better makes me inch closer, close enough for our noses to almost touch. I look up through my eyelashes to see that he is still staring at me intently. There is confusion there but also something else. Something I am not experienced enough to understand.

My eyes then drop to his lips and my tongue darts out to wet my bottom lip. I feel my curiosity getting the better of me. I have never kissed a boy and I am suddenly aware that I desire to do so. I feel myself being pulled towards him. His smell of earth and pine intoxicating. His bright blue eyes transfixing.

Before I allow myself any more time to think I close my eyes and surge forward, my lips landing somewhat clumsily on his. I do not know what I am doing so just press my lips firmly against his own. A jolt of lighting seems to course through my body and it is so sudden and unexpected I jerk back after only a few seconds.

My heart races like a humming bird's as I pull back and look at Peeta in shock. He looks at me in confusion and I am hit by how idiotic my actions just were. I did not even ask him if he wanted to be kissed. I selfishly and impulsively reached out to him for my own personal gain and did not give a thought to his own feelings on the matter.

Mortification floods through my whole body. The air in the tent becomes stifling and my cheeks darken to a deep shade of red. Embarrassed and ashamed I turn away from him and hastily leave the tent. The kiss was a mistake done by a foolish little girl.

The cool morning breeze is a welcome friend as I exit the tent. The tent had become suffocating after my rash decision and my whole body is flushed after the ordeal. I grab some clothes and go and dress for the day within the privacy of the forest and away from Peeta.

When I come back I find Johanna and Finnick both up and practising fighting techniques in the clearing. Both seem to have decided that clothing is deemed improper for such an activity. Finnick prances around in just a pair of tight dark grey breeches while Johanna has slashed one of her tunics so only the top half remains leaving her midriff bare. Their matching tattoos are on display as they glisten with sweat.

I avert my eyes at the pair of them when I arrive back. Human nudity still unnerves. I can clearly picture what Effie's reaction would be if she witnessed the pair of them like this. She would be prattling on about modesty and propriety in a high and shrill voice. I am not used to people like this.

I settle down by the fire and grab a plateful of berries. Johanna gives me a smirk when she sees me. It is a smirk that suggests she knows exactly where Peeta spent the night yesterday. The blush that rises in my cheeks only confirms her suspicions. She smirks at me again before darting below Finnick to dodge a punch and I decide I should just focus on my breakfast. However I cannot stop my eyes from drifting back over to look at my tent. I am glad that Peeta has seemed to stay put for now.

The grunts and moans coming from Finnick and Johanna are distracting though and I find it almost impossible to ignore them. I turn to watch them as they continue to spar with each other.

Finnick has an obvious height and weight advantage and moves like a dancer. He spins and leaps out of Johanna's way, twirling and jabbing hits in her direction. Johanna is a lot scrappier. Her speed is quick and her hits are punchy and fierce. She is like a terrier dog that never gives up. Even her injured arm does not stop her. Just when I think Finnick has got the better of her she gets in one more well timed hit that disorients him and allows her to reset.

I watch a little amazed at the strength and guile they display. Father would be happy to acknowledge them as members of the Kings Guard. They both have a tenacity that would be a great asset to my father's guards. I sit and gawp a little in awe at what they can do.

Johanna finally lands a hard blow on Finnick's abdomen that causes him to tumble to the ground and she stands triumphantly above him.

"Third time this month," she states. "I think you are going soft on me Odair."

"You're a dirty cheater Jo and we all know it. At least this time you didn't go for his balls," Peeta says as he finally comes out of the tent.

He looks in my direction but I am too embarrassed to hold his gaze and turn my head away from him. Johanna catches me and gives me a smug smile.

"Sleep well last night Princess? I have firsthand experience of how good a bed buddy our boy Peeta is over there. His tongue can really do some magic things, wouldn't you agree?" she says.

The blush seems to overtake my whole body. The breeze is not enough to stop the deep red that consumes my body. I cannot look at either her or Peeta. The mortification is too raw. Her comment just reminds me how improper my behaviour was last night.

"Drop it Johanna," Peeta says in a firm tone.

I internally thank him for getting her to stop.

Johanna raises an eyebrow at him and they stare at each other challengingly for a few moments. It is clear Johanna has a lot to say on the subject. Finnick just stands there unsure of what to do. Johanna is the first to break and turns away with a laugh.

"Don't worry. I would never dream of insinuating that the Princess committed acts that should be kept sacred for marriage. We all know that would end with my hanging from a noose," she says.

She gives Peeta a look that tells him she is not talking about herself. She is reminding him his place in my life. She is warning him to stay away from me.

She does not need to bother. I will not allow myself to get into that situation again.

Nobody replies to her comment and she makes her way over to fetch a drink of water. Peeta watches her cautiously as she walks away but it is clear she has let the subject drop. She stops in front of me as she fills a goblet with water and slurps it down greedily. She throws the goblet aside once she has finished and wipes a sweaty arm across her forehead. She looks at me with her head tilted to one side.

"Did you enjoy the show Finnick and I put on? I saw you gawping at us both. Or was it Finnick's muscles you were staring at?" she asks.

I scowl at her. It seems she is intent on getting a reaction out of me this morning.

"I am not that shallow. I was admiring your impressive fighting skills," I reply.

Johanna smiles broadly at me.

"So a girl fighting didn't offend you then? Isn't that too improper?" she says, the last part in a poor imitation of me.

I scowl again. I was giving her a compliment.

"I was actually thinking how useful it is that you can defend yourself against attackers. I have no such skills," I spit standing up to face her.

After yesterday I realise how unequipped I am to defend myself against whatever else comes at us these next two months. I am envious of Johanna's strength and bravery.

She just smiles again.

"There's nothing stopping you. How about we start right now? I'll teach you. Go on. Try and hit me?" she goads gesturing her hands towards herself.

Is she crazy? I have never hit anyone in my entire life. And I fully expect her to hit me back.

"I won't do that," I reply.

Johanna smirks and shakes her head.

"Of course not Princess. We can't have you breaking a nail," she says.

I know what she is doing. She is goading and taunting me. It seems that now Peeta has stopped patronising me Johanna has taken up the mantel. I take a deep breath. I don't want to become angry with her. I don't want a repeat of what happened with Peeta and let my magic get the better of me.

"It might not be such a bad idea for you to learn some basic fighting skills. It will help you defend yourself if we run into trouble in the future," Finnick says.

I turn to look at him. Maybe learning to fight is a good idea but I don't want to learn when Johanna is taunting me like this.

Johanna continues to goad me by saying my name and asking me to hit her.

"Come on Princess. Get those pretty little hands dirty. Or are you too precious? Can you do anything by yourself?" she taunts.

I can feel a small tingling running through my body. I hate how she makes fun of me. I don't want to be seen as this sheltered little girl any more. I hate that she laughs at me because of it. The tingling grows stronger as she stands in front of me with a smug look. I hate being patronised.

However no matter how smug she is I don't want to hurt her with magic I don't have control of. I will not be goaded into this fight. It would just make her even more satisfied. I close my eyes and take a deep breath before turning on my heel and storming back to my tent. I need to calm down to stop myself releasing my magic.

I hear Johanna cackling in the background as I duck into the tent, shaking a little with the effort to try and subdue the tingling throughout my body.

I sit in the tent cursing Johanna's ease to get under my skin. I take a few deep breaths and the tingling begins to fade. The future queen should be able to stand up to some arrogant Phantom Hunter. She should be able to ignore the taunts and hold her head high. She should not be drawn into petty arguments.

It is moments like this that I miss my father. He would have been able to keep me calm. He always encouraged me to be brave and independent and composed. He is my biggest inspiration. I crave his comforting words of encouragement and long for his warm embrace. But I do not know when I will see him again.

* * *

A while later I see a shadow fall across the entrance way of the tent. From the size and stature of it I can only assume it is Peeta.

"Katniss, can I come in?" he asks through the door.

I pause for a moment as I remember what happened the last time I allowed Peeta into this tent. I have still not gotten over what happened this morning but I remember how comforting he was last night and I suddenly crave that comfort again. I invite him in.

He squeezes into the tent but settles himself by the door. As far away as possible from me. Part of me is a little disappointed.

"I apologise for Johanna. Her methods were not correct even if her ideas were," he says.

"I do not know what has come over me. I never got into arguments like that at home," I say fiddling with the end of my braid.

Peeta's lips tug upwards into a small smile.

"You have never met someone like Johanna before. People were probably told to be courteous towards you at all times back in the palace. But Johanna doesn't care. She won't treat you any differently," he says.

Before I would have scowled over the fact he is insinuating that people treat me differently but there is a light tone to his voice that makes me smile in return. Johanna certainly doesn't care that I am a princess. The people of the palace would be shocked by her vulgar tones.

"I don't want to been seen as a silly little girl. It infuriates me that she taunts me for it," I reply.

"Then show her you are not. Learn to fight and defend yourself. Then she will have nothing to tease you about," he replies.

I can't quite believe I am having this conversation with him. Yesterday he was the one I was fighting with. Now he is helping me handle Johanna. I pull my legs up to my chest and put an arm around them. I rest my chin on top of me knees.

"What if I am not brave enough to fight," I mumble.

As much as I agree with the fact it would be beneficial to learn how to fight, learning to defend myself is a little daunting.

To my surprise Peeta chuckles. I look up at him annoyed.

"You are underestimating yourself. You are a lot braver and stronger than you give yourself credit for," he replies.

I scoff now before looking back down at my hands. He is being ridiculous. A brave girl would not have run off to hide in her tent just now. She would have faced up to her problems. Sensing I need more convincing Peeta moves closer and puts a finger under my chin to tip it up and force me to look into his blue eyes.

I feel that thing I did this morning. That strange stirring that feels like rumbling thunder in my stomach. Goose flesh runs up along my arms.

"Katniss you have been living with a bunch of strange Phantom Hunters for over a week and only tried to run away once. You are surviving in unknown woods away from everyone and everything you know. Do you know that Finnick wet himself when we first came across lizard mutts? You are at least braver than him on that front," he says.

The last comment makes me smile a little and I can see the triumphant delight in Peeta's eyes that he has been able to make me do so. I still don't feel very brave. I was defenceless against the lizard mutts yesterday. I didn't even try to fight them.

"And you kissed me this morning. There are not many young girls brave enough to kiss a strange young man. I think these are all signs of your remarkable bravery," he says.

I drop my gaze when he mentions the kiss. I am still embarrassed about it but he does not sound angry or offended by it.

"I should not have done that last thing. It was improper of me," I mumble still looking down.

I can almost hear the smile in Peeta's voice when he answers.

"I don't mind being kissed by a beautiful girl," he says. I look up at him now and realise he is not making fun of me. "Just give me some warning if you do it again. That way I will be more prepared."

He is looking at me with a big grin and I can see that he has not judged me for kissing him this morning. He is joking about kissing him again and I feel relieved. He will not hold the kiss against me and we can both just move past it and forget it ever happened.

"I will keep that in mind," I say returning his smile. His own smile widens.

"I do still think learning to defend yourself will be useful but not using Johanna's methods. I can teach you how to use a bow and arrow. That doesn't involve being tormented by Johanna. I can even help you control some of your magic. That will be your most useful weapon until the red moon passes," he says.

I look at him and once again witness the kindness he showed me last night. He is being sincere about wanting to help me but I cannot figure why. Yesterday he was declaring me spoilt and self-centred.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" I ask.

He takes a breath before answering me.

"I know what it is like to have nightmares and to feel alone. I guess for the first time I understood you last night. I realised that I misjudged you. You are just missing your home and your family. I can relate to that," he replies.

I briefly wonder what has happened to his own family. There is a sadness in his eyes as he talks about it. But it is not my place to ask. He will tell me if he wants to.

He has gone to a different place at the mention of his family. He is no longer looking at me but back into some memory. My curiosity to know more about him deepens. He shakes out whatever thoughts that are running through his head before he looks back at me.

"I think we got off on the wrong foot," he says.

"You were a patronising know it all," I reply with a raised eyebrow.

Peeta nods his head.

"And you were a stubborn princess," he replies with a smile.

I cannot help but return it. His smile is infectious. And we both did not make the start of this journey easy for each other.

"This will be a lot easier if we can be friends. You need to trust me. So with that in mind, my name is Peeta Mellark. I am 18 years old and my favourite colour is orange," he says sticking out his hand for me to shake.

I smile a little at his silly introduction before taking his hand and shaking it firmly.

"Katniss Everdeen. I am 16 years old and my favourite colour is green," I announce.

"Well Katniss, I am delighted to be properly introduced to you," he replies.

It does not skip my notice that he has stopped calling me Princess.

Peeta grins at me broadly and I again see the sincerity in his eyes. He is serious about us becoming friends and I find that the thought does not bother me. It even makes me a little excited. I will allow him to help me train and control my magic. I will stop moaning about living conditions and travelling all the time. And he will try to be less patronising and arrogant. Maybe, if we can do all that, we have a shot of being friends.

* * *

**A/N: The ship is most definitely turning. They do say there is a thin line between love and hate. **

**Thanks to everyone that is reading and reviewing this story. Your support makes the writing worth it.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I'm so glad so many of you liked the relationship between Katniss and Peeta in the last chapter. In this chapter we will start to see a very different Katniss. Lots of Everlark feels on the way. Hope you enjoy.**

* * *

Chapter 6

_Peeta_

I feel a lightness as I exit Katniss's tent. A small smile graces my lips. It feels good to have made amends with her. A weight off my shoulders. I am normally a very amiable person and I try to avoid fighting with other people. I do not know what it is about this girl that seems to bring out intense emotions in me. Whether it be anger and frustration or empathy and a strong desire to protect her. It makes me curious to find out more about her.

Johanna gives me a look as I come over to settle beside her.

"Katniss has agreed to receive some defence training and training to control her magic," I state.

"Of course she did. What particular Mellark move did you pull? The sneak attack from behind or did you just whip your dick out and have your way with her?" Johanna says.

I glower at her. I know she is does not approve of me spending time in Katniss's tent but I am not about to defend myself. I know it is innocent.

"I told you to drop it Jo. We have a duty to uphold. Your crude jokes are not helping," I reply sternly.

"I don't think I am the one who needs reminding about their duty," she replies.

We engage in a fierce staring contest. Blue against chestnut. Neither willing to back down.

It was one night and nothing happened. I do not need to feel guilty about anything.

Finnick looks between the both of us and shakes his head. He decides to break the tension by averting the conversation and suggesting a new plan of action.

"I think we should go and see Annie. She will have a better handle on the witches' plan. She might be able to give us some valuable information," he says.

Johanna and I break our staring contest at the same time, both of us turning our heads to look at Finnick.

"Clearly all the boys in this group can only think with their dicks," Johanna sneers.

I frown at her words and Finnick looks offended. He and Annie have a somewhat untraditional love affair going on.

"You are the most sexually promiscuous of us all," I reply in a hard tone. It is Johanna's turn to glare at us. "But I think Finnick is right. We don't know what the witches plan is. Annie could give us vital information that could help us keep Katniss alive."

She stares between us for a few moments but she knows we can't just keep moving from place to place and hope we aren't detected. We need to know what we are up against. She eventually concedes with a shrug of the shoulders and goes off to start packing up. Finnick and I smile in triumph before we go about helping her. I go and rouse Katniss to let her know our current plan.

Annie's dwelling is not too far from our last campsite and we arrive at the gently rolling stream and crystal clear spring pool before the sun has set. Annie is sitting on a rock by the tumbling waterfall singing an enchanting melody as she makes a necklace out of colourful shells. She has a brilliant pink water lily entangled in her long and damp auburn locks and shimmering bits of cloth cover her most private areas. The melody she sings causes the array of colourful fish to gather at her feet.

Finnick's smile widens as soon as he sees her and he bounds over to wrap her in a tight embrace. Annie stops singing when she sees him and giggles as he sweeps her into his arms.

"My darling Annie," Finnick whispers as he dips her back to kiss her deeply. The end of her hair trails in the water below.

Johanna rolls her eyes before she begins to unload Maisy. Katniss blushes at Finnick's display. I have to bite back a grin at the sight. She is so pure and innocent. It is fast becoming one of her most endearing features.

Katniss then turns to me with a curious look.

"Who is Annie?" she asks.

"She is a water nymph. An ageless beauty of nature. She has the ability to manipulate her form to imitate beings of water. She can turn herself into a golden fish or the sea foam that crashes against the rock," I reply.

Katniss chews her bottom lip as she contemplates what I just told her.

"How can she help us?" she asks.

"Nymphs can communicate with the creatures of their environment. Annie can speak with all the fish and sea birds in District 12. They act as her whisperers, bringing her all the secrets in the land. She will know exactly what the Tribute witches are planning," I say.

Katniss nods her head in understanding. Her eyes drift over to Finnick, who still has Annie wrapped in his arms, as he peppers her with kisses and whispers secrets in her ear. He is aware of nothing other than her and his love and admiration for her shines out of his green eyes. Katniss studies the picture carefully. A frown appears on her face as if she is confused about what she is witnessing.

"Finnick is in love with her?" she asks a little stunned.

I nod my head.

"We have been coming to Annie for information for 4 years. She slowly crept up on him," I reply with a smile.

Katniss shakes her head again in confusion.

"It does not make sense. Why does he lay with all the other girls if he is truly in love with her?" she asks.

"Matters of the heart are complicated. Love is not easy. It can lift you up but also sending you tumbling down. Nymphs are fickle creatures, seductresses. Finnick is only one of Annie's lovers. He finds other ways to cope with the knowledge that he does not hold her heart completely like she does his," I say.

Katniss stares at me for a moment. Her grey eyes are serious as she tries to comprehend my words. At a guess I would say she has not had must experience with love.

She then looks over to Finnick and Annie with a sad look. Annie shrieks with laughter at something Finnick has just whispered in her ear.

"That is so sad," she says.

I shrug my shoulders as she turns back to face me.

"Sometimes simply loving someone is not enough," I reply.

We both stare at each other contemplating the truth in my words before we are interrupted by Johanna who calls over to Finnick and Annie to stop fooling around and help her set up. Annie jumps up and out of Finnick's arms as she dances over to Johanna.

"Oh Johanna! I have missed you so!" Annie declares bending forward to place a kiss on Johanna's cheek.

Johanna grins and shakes her head as she hands her a knife to prepare the fish that had been caught earlier. Katniss and I share a grin before going over to join the rest of the group.

* * *

The red glow from the moon bathes the sky in a fiery red that makes it seem like the whole world is on fire. Our own fire causes shadows to dance across our bodies and canvases of the tent. Annie sits in Finnick's arms as she hums a soft tune. He wears a dopey grin and his eyes do not leave her face. Katniss sits beside me finishing off the remains of her fish. Her body brushes slightly against mine as she brings up the whole fish to her mouth and chomps down on it greedily. I sit and watch her with a smile. She's come a long way from the girl who initially refused to eat without a knife and fork.

Johanna puts down the bones of her fish and wipes a hand across her mouth to clear away the excess juices.

"Let's get down to business. Annie we are not just here so Finnick can fuck you. We need to know about the Tribute witches. Where are they and what are they doing?" Johanna demands.

Annie stops humming and sits up straighter in Finnick's arms.

"I know what you are doing. That is the Princess and heir to the throne. The whole District is out looking for her. There is a large reward for her safe return," Annie replies.

I feel Katniss stiffen beside me at the mention of her search party. Any mentions of home must be hard for her. I know I cannot forget mine.

"Yes. And you know why we have her. The witches want to sacrifice her to save their magic. We cannot allow that to happen," Johanna replies.

Annie swings on the edge of her seat as she stares at Jo across the fire. She then flits her eyes over to Katniss.

"The magic in this one is strong. You will do great things before the red moon passes," Annie says cryptically.

I hear Johanna letting out a frustrated sigh. Nymphs are playful and Annie is playing with Johanna before she gives us the answers we want.

Katniss looks startled by Annie's revelation.

"What do you mean?" she asks curiously.

"Your heart is pure. The witches have forgotten that the strength of their magic is linked to the purity of their heart. They do not understand that their magic is weakening because they let the blackness over take their hearts. Your heart is unblemished and whole. I predict you will do something spectacular before your magic is lost," Annie replies.

My interest is piqued now. It was only yesterday I was wondering about what the strength of Katniss's magic meant. I am intrigued to find out exactly what she is capable of.

"What type of thing?" I ask leaning forward intrigued.

I jerk back a little as a flame from the fire dances too close for my liking. I am still not comfortable around it.

Annie gives me a coy smile and twirls one end of her hair round her finger. She then looks over to Katniss with the same smile. Katniss frowns.

"I cannot say. But it will be probably linked to a great act of love," Annie replies.

She looks between Katniss and I and laughs. Both of us a frown as Annie falls back against Finnick's chest.

Johanna is not amused and fires an annoyed look in Annie's direction.

"Cut the crap Annie. We didn't come here to discuss whatever magic Katniss has. Just tell us about the Tribute witches," Johanna demands.

Annie giggles again, the fire catches in her aquamarine eyes.

"What do you want to know?" she asks with a smile.

We sit and listen to Annie as she tells us everything she knows about the Tribute witches. They have set up base in the Snow Mountains, high up top so they have a view of the entire District. They have recruited a hive of tracker jackers. These are gigantic mutated wasps that have the ability to track movements of different magical beings. They have all currently been programmed to track Katniss and this was how the lizard mutts managed to locate us yesterday. The lizard mutts had joined the witches cause in promise for the run of the palace if the witches succeed. Obviously we were able to thwart that plan.

"I doubt that the witches will come after you personally unless they are desperate but they have an abundance of creatures willing to fight for them. I would tread carefully," Annie warns.

Johanna, Finnick and I all deflate at her words. Trackers jackers are the worst possible scenario. They are persistent and even if we keep on the move I am not sure we can outrun them for the next 2 months.

"I would head for the Pink Valley. The poisonous trees make it difficult for the tracker jackers to trace magic there," Annie says.

Johanna and I both nod our heads. It is probably our best option for now but we still have a long way to go.

Katniss looks pensive as Annie explains the situation and the next thing I know she has abruptly stood up and looking down at me expectedly.

"Well it looks like I need to start training straight away. They could find us at any moment and I want to be prepared," she states.

I look up at her a bit shocked at this change in attitude. What happened to the meek girl yesterday? She has a determined look in her eye and the fire light that dances across her skin gives her a fierce look. I give her an impressed smile.

"Whatever you wish," I reply as I rise to stand in front of her.

Her grey eyes do look beautiful in the firelight. They seem to smoulder and burn. A shiver goes up my body that I don't think I can blame on the wind.

Katniss gives a sharp nod of her head and we go off to find a safe place to practise.

* * *

It is decided we will start with her training to control her magic. I find a fallen mockingjay feather on the ground and bring it over for her to try and float.

"Okay," I say placing the feather down in front of her. "What does it feel like when you do magic?"

She ponders this for a minute before answering.

"It is a tingling in my body. It starts in my toes and works its way up my whole body until I cannot contain it anymore and it just bursts out," she says.

I nod my head.

"That's good. What you have to learn is how to grab hold of that sensation and concentrate it into your finger tips. You will be able to release your magic from there," I explain.

Katniss frowns.

"But how do I get that feeling to begin with? I have never been able to choose when it happens before," she says.

"Your magic is linked to your emotions. If you want to summon your magic you have to think of a moment that elicited a strong emotion from you. Something that made you really happy or sad or angry."

Katniss nods her head in understanding and the determined look returns to her eyes.

"What do you want me to do with the feather?" she asks.

"Float it," I reply. "Practise what I just told you and will the feather to move."

Katniss nods her head again and clenches her fists as she prepares herself to try and move the feather. She takes a deep breath and unclenches her hands to stick them out in front of the feather. I can see her trying to conjure an image up that is strong enough to make the feather move. She narrows her eyes at it and focuses all her attentions on it. After a moment the feather gives a little tremble but eventually falls still again without lifting an inch. Katniss lets out a frustrated sigh and I tell her not to worry. I wouldn't have expected her to get it the first time. She nods her head and tries again.

30 minutes later and all she has been able to do is make the feather shake.

"You need to think of a stronger emotion. Whatever you are thinking about at the moment is not working," I say.

Katniss lets out a frustrated huff and turns to me with a scowl. Is it strange that I coming to like that scowl on her face?

"I'm trying!" she cries. "How do you even know I am even doing the right thing? You do not have magic. You could be making it up for all I know!"

I smile at her and take a step towards her. I no longer find her little tantrums irritating but instead strangely endearing.

"I may have courted a young witch a few years back. She taught me the mechanics of witchcraft. You need to trust me," I reply.

This answer is not what she is expecting and I see the flicker of something flit through her eyes.

"And what happened to that girl?" she asks accusingly.

"What always happens. Life on the road," I reply.

"So you have courted many girls then?" she asks.

I have to stop myself from smiling. If it was any other girl I might have suggested she was jealous.

"A few. But none right now," I reply.

Katniss turns away from me as she replies.

"I see. I think I have got an emotion," she says.

The next thing I know she is attempting to lift the feather again. I can almost see the magic rise up through her this time and gather in her finger tips. She releases the power in one go and sends the feather flying backwards with a bang.

She jumps back a little startled at the noise and I turn to her with a triumphant grin. Whatever emotion she picked it was a strong one.

She looks back at me surprised and I just grin again before jogging over to retrieve the feather. I jog back to her and present it to her.

"That's the type of emotion I was asking you to channel. Whatever that memory is keep it. It is strong. You just have to release the magic slowly next time," I say.

Katniss narrows her eyes at me before nodding her head a bit lamely and taking the feather off me.

After 3 more attempts she has got the feather floating 10 inches above our heads.

* * *

We set off for the Pink Valley. Finnick reluctantly says a long goodbye to Annie and I feel for him as I see his heart breaking at Annie's nonchalant response to his leaving. Even Johanna has the heart to look sympathetic.

Katniss and I ended up sharing a tent again last night. Once again I was on guard when she started screaming about lizard mutts, witches and lost family. I couldn't sit outside and just listen to her screaming so I dove inside the tent and wrapped my arms around her. I held her as she whimpered and eventually calmed down enough to fall back to sleep. I had meant to leave straight after but her presence dragged me under and I fell asleep before I had a chance to leave. I woke up this morning feeling the most rested I have done since I left my family.

As we walk Katniss revels in her new found ability to channel and control her magic. She picks various light objects and floats them in the air following behind us. Finnick challenges her to float bigger and heavier objects as we go and by the time we reach the Pink Valley she has managed to float a small rock.

I watch her face throughout the whole journey and marvel at the sheer delight and pride that shine in her grey eyes every time she manages to float something new. I feel like a proud father as I watch her master new things. I have hardly seen her smile this whole journey so it is a treat to see it grace her lips to frequently today. She catches my eye every so often and shares with me a smile of pure joy. I can't help but smile too.

The Pink Valley is named so for the vast arrays of pinks that are displayed throughout. The valley is wide with bright pink grass and water the colour of garnets. Tall pink daisies line the pathways and the trees are in permanent blossom. We tend to avoid this part of the District because the blanket of pink can be dizzying after a while. The trees are also all laced with a sweet poison that turns deadly within seconds. However the poison acts almost like a barrier blocking out any tracking signals that the tracker jackers have on Katniss.

We set up camp in a field of daisies and Johanna and Finnick offer to go and hunt for supper. Katniss and I agree and decide while they are gone we will start the next part of her training; using a bow and arrow.

I set up a target in the middle of the field and walk back over to her with the bow and arrows. I thought this would be the weapon she would be the most comfortable using as it doesn't involve any hand to hand combat. I can tell that the thought of getting into a fight still scares her.

"Okay. The aim is to shoot the target and not my head, no matter how much you want to," I say with a grin.

Katniss returns it with a small smile.

"Why would I try that when we just agreed to be friends?" she says with a grin.

I laugh.

"Even so, I think I will stay behind you," I reply.

Katniss laughs now and the sound causes goose flesh to appear on my skin. I try and blame the breeze.

I hand Katniss the bow and help her nook the arrow. I position myself behind her so I can help her get the correct posture.

"The first thing you have to do is stand perpendicular to the target," I say putting my hands on her slender waist and twisting her round so she stands sideways to the target. I feel her gasp a little at my touch and this causes me to grip her waist tighter.

"Your feet should be shoulder width apart," I say nudging her feet apart with my foot.

"Use 3 fingers to support the arrow. This one above and these 2 below," I say tangling my fingers with hers to place them in the correct hold.

"This arm should stay straight while you draw this one back to your ear," I say sliding my hand along her arm as I get her to raise her bow. a trail of goose flesh appears on her skin as I do so.

"Get ready to aim. Focus in on the centre of the target," I say leaning forward so my breath hits the nape of her neck.

I feel her breathing become shallower as I continue to stand closely behind her. Our bodies do not touch but I can feel a frisson of energy between us. My eyes drift down to trace the outline of her neck. It is long and sender and the skin looks silky soft. I suddenly imagine what it would be like to kiss along it. What the skin tastes like there.

Neither of us moves as my heart begins to beat faster and I have to shift my hips away and think of decapitated lizard mutts to stop her from feeling the effect she is having on me. All I can hear is the pounding of my heart.

I clear my throat and try and focus on the task at hand.

"Now release," I state letting go of her arm and stepping back.

She seems startled by my loss of contact and loses her posture sending the arrow flying 5 feet away from the target.

She looks back at me with dazed eyes. The whole scenario has left me confused and embarrassed. Her cheeks are flushed and the hammering in my heart is still present. I find I can't look her in the eye anymore. I drop my eyes to the ground.

"I think I can try it on my own," she says after a moment. I still haven't gained the courage to look back at her. I can't deny how intimate it felt to be standing like that behind her.

I clear my throat again and scuff the ground with my boot.

"Good idea," I reply.

I can see her nod and turn again in my peripheral vision as she picks up another arrow to try. I try to get my heart rate back under control. It has been a long time since a girl has affected me so.

Katniss fires arrow after arrow while we wait for Finnick and Johanna to come back. She gets better as time goes on and by the time Finnick and Johanna come back she has managed to stick a fair few arrows into the target. I don't dare touch her again terrified of the emotions it would elicit.

* * *

Over the next couple of weeks Katniss continues to train and practise controlling her magic. She can now make small objects fly through the air and put life back into dead plants and flowers. Much to Johanna's annoyance she managed to float her axe in the air and lodge it high up into a tree. Finnick and I had to hide our laughs behind our hands as we watched Johanna try and scale the tree while throwing curses at Katniss as she retrieved it. Katniss just saw it as payback for all of Johanna's crude comments.

Katniss proves to be a diligent and determined student. She has taken to rising before the rest of us and firing arrow after arrow at the target we set up. I am impressed with her never give up attitude. If she cannot do something on the first attempt she preserves for hours until she has mastered it. I haven't told her this but I think she is a better shot than me. I can see even Johanna is impressed. Katniss's moaning has stopped and in its place is a smart and curious girl who is eager to listen and learn. My misgivings about her ability to rule as queen have been drastically altered.

I've changed how I feel about her.

I've begun to feel something that I shouldn't. Something that is dangerous and has the ability to break me. I don't dare acknowledge it for what it is. It is not my place to feel such a way. It is an impossible situation. She is a princess and I am a poor Phantom Hunter. We have become friends and that is all we can ever be.

But when she gives me one of her rare smiles I forget.

The sleeping arrangement is not helping the situation. For the first week after we agreed to be friends I was woken every night by her screams and every night I was powerless to stop myself from crawling in and comforting her. After a while we stopped even starting the night in different tents and I would just squeeze in with her at the beginning of the night.

It started off with just me keeping her nightmares at bay but she has eventually helped me battle my own night demons. When I wake drenched in sweat and crying my brothers' names she is there to pull me close and ground me once again. Neither of us can sleep without the other. It is completely innocent and nothing more than hugging occurs but I know the situation is not helping me battle any forbidden feelings.

On the upside the poison in the trees has been an effective barrier so far and the tracker jackers and the witches haven't been able to find us since. However we do hear of a fluffy squirrel that has developed a taste for human flesh. It has been terrorising a village in the north of the Pink Valley and Johanna is getting agitated about sitting around and doing nothing.

"I am tired of moving all of the time and not doing anything proactive!" she declares. "I know Princess over there is our main priority but I don't see the harm of taking a small detour in this journey. We can catch the fluffy bugger and still protect Princess."

The rest of the group exchange glances. It is true the journey has been a bit dull the last few weeks. As Phantom Hunters we have become used to nonstop action and adventure. Even I am eager to do something other than travelling.

"I think Johanna is right. Going after this squirrel is not going to get in the way of my safety," Katniss says.

I raise an eyebrow at her. I had not expected her to side with Johanna. They rarely agree and I didn't think she would encourage us to do something that was out of her comfort zone. I stare at for a moment and think about how this girl is full of surprises. She catches me staring and smiles back at me.

"So what's the plan?" I ask with a smile as I turn back round to face Johanna and Finnick.

We agree to track down the squirrel the next day. Johanna has extremely good tracking skills and is able to find the squirrel's trail easily. We track it to a thick cluster of trees on the outer edge of the valley. Finnick uses his bird calls to scare the squirrel towards the area we want. We surround the tree the squirrel jumps to, our weapons ready in case it attacks.

I catch the little monster jumping to a lower branch. It is small and round with hair so fluffy and pink it looks like a large pom pom. Its beady red eyes catch sight of me and it bares it sharp pointed teeth. I raise my knife in preparation for it to strike. The plan is to surround the squirrel and confuse it so it doesn't know which way to run. When it is dazed and confused one of us will take it out.

Johanna rustles a bush to grab the squirrel's attention. It turns its head away from me before stalking off to investigate the new noise. Just when it goes over to Johanna's side Katniss throws a rock and the squirrel turns again and moves towards Katniss. My heart begins to thump louder as I see it move towards her. I have to remind myself that she will be safe.

Finnick then whistles and the squirrel turns to face him. We continue our symphony of noises trying to distract the squirrel. It twists and turns and goes round in circles as it tries to figure out who to attack. Eventually the squirrel gives up and focuses its eyes on me. It prepares to jump and I raise my knife again to stick it in the furry monster as it attacks me.

Suddenly a whizzing noise flies through the air and a long arrow impales itself in the squirrel's flesh. The squirrel's eyes bulge a little on impact before it topples and falls to the ground with a thump.

I turn round to look at the person who fired the arrow. She has a triumphant smile on her face and her grey eyes sparkle with pride.

"I could not let it eat you," she says with a grin.

I smile broadly back at her and Johanna and Finnick congratulate her on her good shot. Katniss giggles as Finnick spins her around the air and declares that she would make a good Phantom Hunter. I can't help but agree.

We burn the remains of the squirrel before heading back to settle down to camp.

* * *

That night we all sit round the fire reliving the demise of the squirrel. Finnick is up and prancing about doing an impression of the squirrel. He uses his fingers to act as the squirrel's sharp teeth and wiggles his behind to imitate the squirrel's bushy tail. Johanna clutches her side in stitches as she watches Finnick dancing about as the squirrel.

Katniss sits beside me and stifles her own grin behind her hand. I can tell by the look in her eye that she is really proud of what she did today. 3 weeks ago she would never have got involved in something like this.

"Odair you are killing me. If the Phantom Hunter thing ever comes to an end you definitely have the talent to become a squirrel," Johanna chortles.

"I think I have too many brain cells to be a squirrel," Finnick replies.

"No, I don't think that will be a problem," Johanna says with a grin.

Finnick pretends to look hurt and Johanna manages to calm herself down enough to get up and offer to clean the dishes. However as she gets up she trips over a long piece of rope.

"Damn it Finnick! I have told you not to leave your ropes lying around! I will break an ankle one of these days!" Johanna exclaims.

Katniss and I both laugh as Finnick apologies and offers to help her clean the dishes to make up for it. Johanna shrugs her shoulders and the pair of them begin to gather the wooden plates. They continue to bicker as they make their way to the nearby stream.

"Who is acting like a married couple now," Katniss says with a smile.

I laugh a little at her comment remembering how Johanna accused us of that a few weeks previously.

We sit in silence as Katniss watches the flames. I focus my eyes on her instead. I am still not comfortable around fire and she is a lot more soothing to watch.

She looks beautiful in the firelight. I can't believe I ever denied she was. She still has the same pride she had earlier in her eyes and I can see she is giddy as she remembers exactly what she has achieved.

"You are pretty proud of yourself today," I say.

She turns away from the fire and smiles at me broadly. She can't sit still as she thinks about it.

"I did not think I was capable of feats like that. I did not think I could actually hit the squirrel. I never dreamed about doing something like that in palace but I enjoyed it. It was thrilling," she says clearly excited.

I smile and nod my head.

"I told you were brave," I say.

Katniss bobs her head. She still has a massive grin on her face.

"It felt good to actually be proactive about something. I have spent so much of my life having other people wait on me. It made me realise that when I get back I could possibly be a good queen. Someone who can protect herself and her people and not just a damsel in distress that gets ordered around by men," she says.

My heart drops a little at the mention of her going back home.

"Well I will be very proud to call you my queen," I say seriously.

Our eyes lock together and she looks at me with a small smile.

"I really appreciate everything you are doing for me," she says.

I nod my head and tell her it is my pleasure. We continue to sit in silence for a moment before she gets up to settle for the night. I watch her as she gets up to leave, giving her a few moments before I go to join her in the tent. However as she gets up she trips up on another of Finnick's ropes and she comes tumbling down towards me.

My back hits the hard ground with a thud as she tumbles on top of me, knocking the wind out of me and pinning me to the ground.

She looks down at me with shocked eyes as I catch her. Neither of us moves as we process the position we are in. Her eyes search mine as we lie there, pinning me to the spot. I know I couldn't move even if I wanted to.

It seems like an eternity as we just continue to stare at each other. I can feel her heart hammering against my chest and mine beats in a remarkably similar rhythm. I can see the curiosity she had in her eyes that first morning we woke in the tent together. I hold my breath as I wait for her to make a move.

Tentatively she leans forward and places her lips against mine. She is inexperienced and unsure but still manages to cause all the hairs on my arms to stand on end.

She pulls back quickly and bites her bottom lip nervously. She is unsure if whether she has over stepped the mark.

My heart is beating so fast now it feels like it is going to burst.

"You were supposed to warn me if you were going to kiss me again," I say with a grin.

Relief floods through her eyes once she realises I am happy with the kiss. She giggles slightly.

"I apologise," she says bolder now and leaning in closer so her nose brushes against mine. "I'm warning you now."

I smile as she closes the short distance between our lips.

I know it is wrong. That she is the princess and future queen of the District but I can't deny my growing feelings for her. She is strong and smart and beautiful and I just want to spend every possible minute with her.

So I open my lips and return her kiss. I run my tongue along her bottom lip causing her to gasp and open her mouth for me. She tastes of the sweet berries that we had for dinner and I hear her gasp as she feels my tongue in her mouth. I just press her close as I coax her own tongue to tangle with mine.

I feel her slowly begin to consume me. She seems to reach down to the tips of my toes and inhabit my whole being. I kiss her needily and hungrily and terrified of what will happen when this moment ends. She tangles her fingers in my curls and I groan at the contact. She is so warm and perfect. And I don't want to stop kissing her.

We eventually do as we hear Johanna and Finnick approaching. We untangle ourselves reluctantly before they get back and I can't help but smile at the sight of Katniss's plump lips and messy braid. She smiles shyly at me before we make our excuses to Finnick and Johanna and go and settle in the tent.

There is more than just cuddling in the tent that night.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who is reading/reviewing this story. A lot of you are enjoying more Everlark romance and there is more to come in this chapter. Read and enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 7

_Katniss_

His lips move against mine in a now perfected synchronisation. Our tongues tangle together in a fierce passion. My arms slip round his back and pull him close to me. His fingers are tangled in my hair. His scent of fresh air and grass consume me.

Peeta breaks his lips away from mine as he leaves a trail of kisses along my cheek and down my neck. He stops and lavishes the spot just below my ear that makes me squirm. His actions cause me to gasp and I thread my fingers through his blond curls to lock him in place. My body hums with energy.

My experience of kissing before Peeta had been limited to chaste romance novels and awkward etiquette conversations with my mother and Effie. I had always thought it would be something sweet and pleasant. A small gesture to show your affection for another person. I had not been prepared for the hunger that overtakes me. A hunger that plagues me throughout the whole day and one that is never completely satisfied no matter what I do.

Kissing Peeta Mellark has become my addiction. His kisses have become as important to me as the air I need to breathe.

These early morning kisses have become a routine over the last couple of weeks and ever since that second kiss by the fire. After my first disastrous kiss attempt after the lizard mutts I had promised myself that I would never put myself in that situation again. It would be inappropriate and improper. But during the couple of weeks after that kiss an unexpected friendship flourished. Surprisingly I loved the training we did. It made me feel less like a vulnerable child and Peeta was patient with me and always there to encourage me when I became frustrated.

Through this training I discovered that Peeta is incredibly charming. We started laughing and exchanging stories. I like the way he teases me and treats me like a common person. I now find myself constantly smiling whenever I am round him. I have become accustomed to a pleasurable warmth in my chest whenever I am near him.

I am drawn to him like a magnet. An invisible force that had made me powerless to prevent myself from reaching down to kiss him a second time that night by the fire. I have not been able to stop myself since.

I feel him smirk into the side of my neck as he elicits another moan out of me. He gently sucks on my flesh and then begins to trail kisses along my exposed collarbone. I had woken this morning from a particularly terrifying nightmare where I witnessed the witches boiling my father alive. Peeta's arms had been there to comfort me as I woke screaming and hysterical. His lips found mine soon after in a further attempt to soothe me.

The early morning suns shines through the thin canvas of the tent as Peeta lavishes my face and neck with kisses to ensure that my nightmare is completely forgotten. I tug on his curls to pull his lips back up to mine and sigh at the now familiar taste of wild berries and mint on his lips.

He grips my waist tightly as he kisses me deeply. He shifts his body slightly and I suddenly feel something long and hard brush against my thigh. Its presence shocks me and causes me to yelp in surprise.

Peeta breaks away from me to sit up and look down at me concerned.

"What's the matter? Was I holding you too tightly?" he asks.

I can see the thought of hurting me has him really worried. At times I feel like he treats me like a fragile china doll.

"No," I say quickly to reassure him. "I just felt something strange."

He looks at me quizzically and my eyes travel down to where I felt the thing brush my thigh. His eyes follow down to where our bodies lie next to each other and realisation then floods his eyes. Much to my annoyance he looks back at me with an amused smile.

"I forget how pure and innocent you are," he says.

"I am hardly pure! A pure girl would not spend every night in her tent doing the things we do!" I exclaim a little annoyed. I know Effie would froth at the mouth if she knew what I was up to.

Peeta just smiles wider and chuckles lightly. He moves in closer to me and caresses my cheek.

"Don't ever try to deny your purity. I find it to be one of your most endearing features," he says.

I scowl at him. I feel like he is making fun of me. However this just seems to amuse him more and he chuckles again.

"I have grown to love that scowl," he says leaning in to give me a soft kiss.

I am still annoyed at him and do not respond to his actions. He pulls back, dropping his hand from my cheek and then looking at me with a smile.

"You do know how babies are made Katniss?" he asks.

I am a bit perplexed by this line of questioning and I scowl at him again. I am no closer to discovering what it is that startled me so.

"Contrary to what you think, I am not some innocent child. I understand what is required of a wife on her wedding night," I reply sharply.

Peeta chuckles again. His amusement is really starting to irritate me and I am close to storming out the tent.

"Well for a man to provide his part for the baby he has to get aroused," he says leaning in to place a soft kiss on the side of my mouth

"Blood gathers in one area, preparing itself to give its seed," Peeta says calmly while placing another kiss on the opposite side of my mouth.

My cheeks go red as I comprehend what he is saying. I look down to his breeches and see that indeed there is something long and hard straining to get out. I grow uncomfortable and shift back away from him. Did I make him become like that?

"But we are not making a baby," I state.

I shift uncomfortably away from him. Effie and my mother never prepared me for this.

Peeta smiles sweetly at me now.

"I know. I just got a little excited. Don't be embarrassed about it. You should take it as a compliment. You have no idea the effect you have on me," he replies kissing a trail up to me ear and gently sucking on my ear lobe.

I let out a sigh as a result of his actions before I look back at him to try and understand what this all means. I know of the expectations of a girl on her wedding night and have heard enough from Johanna and Finnick to have a basic understanding of what the act might entail but I had never given any serious thought about the process of it. I have been taught that it is an act sacred for marriage. But lying here with Peeta, staring at the thing that is obviously desperate to get out, I realise that Peeta probably has thought about it and this causes me to become a bit anxious.

Peeta notices my stare and shifts to try and hide the thing in his breeches. The action causes me to suddenly change my train of thought.

"How does it go away? Does it hurt?" I ask suddenly curious.

Clearly I do not know a lot about the male anatomy or its role in human reproduction. Peeta chuckles a little nervously.

"I try and think about decapitated lizard mutts. That kills the mood pretty quick. Or if that fails I have to relieve it myself," he replies.

I frown at him. How can he relieve it himself? He sees my look and laughs.

"Maybe another time I'll tell you about it. I think I have scared you enough for one day," he says kissing me softly on the cheek.

I blush a little at his comment and look down. A silence falls between us as we try to get over the awkwardness of the situation.

However I find that my eyes cannot stop staring at the juncture of thighs and the very thing we have been talking about. The thought of sexual intercourse terrifies me but at the same time I have a strange curiosity about what he hides beneath there. I have never seen a fully naked man before and I begin to wonder what it looks like. Surely seeing one would prepare me for my wedding night when it eventually occurs.

And then there is my strong curiosity to know everything about Peeta. I have discovered many things about him over the last month. He is a baker. He likes to paint. He does not like sugar in his tea. He likes to sleep with the flap of the tent open. I have even begun to learn things about his body. He is ticklish under his arms. He moans when I kiss the spot where his neck meets his collarbone. Suddenly I want to discover other parts of him.

"Can I see it?" I ask looking up at him curiously.

He looks surprised and he stills at me words.

"Are you sure?" he asks.

I nod my head and move closer to him. I look down at it again and lick my lips. Suddenly the thought of eliciting this reaction out of him is thrilling.

"I have never seen a naked man before. I am curious," I say.

Peeta nods his head slowly and looks at me again to check that I am sure. I smile at him and nod my head in confirmation. Peeta takes a deep breath and with trembling fingers undoes the laces of his breeches. He rises slightly off the ground so he can peel the brown trousers and white under garments down to his knees.

It springs free and points up to the ceiling of the tent. It looks long and firm and I am surprised how red the flesh looks there. I thought I would find it ugly and repulsive but seeing it in all its erect glory only piques my curiosity more. I lean in closer to have a look. Peeta watches me carefully as I bring my eyes back up to his.

"Can I touch it?" I ask.

This really startles Peeta and he eyes me warily.

"If you want to," he replies.

I nod my head before I look back down and reach a tentative hand out to touch him. I slowly bring my fingers down to him and gently run them up his length. At the contact of my fingertips Peeta lets out a hiss. I jerk my hand away at the noise startled.

"I am sorry. Did I hurt you?" I ask ashamed that I must have done something wrong.

Peeta lurches forward and takes hold of my hands. I force myself to look at him.

"Oh God no Katniss! That was the opposite of hurting me. It felt really good," he says trying to reassure me.

At first I struggle to understand what he means. I do not understand how my touch could have made him feel good but then it slowly dawns on me. His earlier comment about relieving it himself re-enters my mind and I think I understand what he means.

"Is that how you make it go away? You touch yourself?" I ask.

Peeta nods his head. My curiosity gets the better of me again. It feels so good when he is kissing me. I am intrigued to see if I can make him feel the same. Slowly I reach out to touch him again. Peeta tenses at my touch and I look back up at him.

"Show me," I state boldly.

Peeta does not move for a while. I can tell he is pondering if this is some sort of dream but after a while he numbly nods his head and reaches down to grab my wrist. He wraps my hand around him and begins moving my hand up and down his length.

He sets a rhythm and when I have got the hang of it he lets goand sits back on his hands with his head hung back as I continue to work him up and down. He tells me if I squeeze too tight or when he wants me to grip him harder.

"Oh God Katniss…" he moans.

His breathing has gotten heavier and he pants softly. The feel of him in my hands is surprising, hard yet soft like velvet, and I decide I like it. At first I focus my eyes on my movements as Peeta continues to let out low moans and groans of my name.

When I grow more confident I peel my eyes off him and look at his face. The sight of it causes weird butterflies in my chest. A flash of heat appears between my legs. The pleasure is evident across his features. The normally brilliant blue of his irises has narrowed to a thin strip at the edge of his thick black pupils.

My thumb accidently brushes against his tip and this causes him to let out a practically loud moan. Stunned I stop momentarily before deciding to try it again. I circle my thumb around his tip and a milky substance sticks to my fingers.

Peeta lets out another loud moan before sitting up abruptly and lurching forward to capture my lips. I am taken a little by surprise but respond and do not stop my movement of my hand as I return his kiss. He breaks away from me panting heavily, leaning his forehead against mine and leaving me flushed.

"That feels so good. I'm not going to last much longer," he pants clutching the sides of my head.

I do not know exactly what he means and I just continue concentrate on my movements. He is thrusting up into my hand now. His grunts are getting more frequent and ragged. The next thing I know he has grabbed hold of my wrist and yanked my hand away and tugs on it himself.

I am confused why he does so until he lets out a final strangled moan and a sticky substance spurts out the end and lands all over his tunic shirt.

I sit back with wide eyes as I take in everything that has just happened. Peeta is still breathing heavily and he stretches to pull the ruined tunic off before leaning over and giving me a chaste kiss.

"You are always surprising me," he mumbles against my lips. "I don't tell you enough how amazing you are."

I smile back at him sweetly. He looks sated and satisfied and I feel pride radiate out from my chest that I was able to make him feel such a way. The encounter has only piqued my interest further and I realise that I look forward to discovering more of him like this.

He pulls me into his arms and we fall back against the makeshift mattress in the tent. I lay there with my head resting on his bare chest. I listen to his pounding heart as it returns back to normal. He runs his hand lazily up and down my arms and I feel content just laying there silently in his arms. The warm feeling in my chest whenever he is around burns more intensely. I stop myself from putting a name on the feeling.

* * *

Peeta and I rise a couple of hours later and join Johanna and Finnick outside to prepare breakfast. The looks they both give us suggest they know exactly what occurred in the early hours of the morning.

"Sleep well Princess?" Johanna asks with a smirk. "The walls of the tent are not that thick you know."

I blush a little but she stops from saying anything further after a hard look from Peeta. She just snorts and shakes her head before going over to attend to Maisy. Finnick is lmore subtle but I see him give Peeta a wink later in the morning. I tell myself I do not care what they think. They are always boasting about their sexual conquests. I have done nothing that either of them has probably not done before.

Peeta suggests that we go on a walk this morning. We do not have to leave the camp until the afternoon. We have not come across any monsters sent by the Tribute witches in almost a month. It is agreed that it is safe enough to go somewhere else this morning.

"I want to show you something," he says.

"I do not like surprises," I reply.

Peeta replies with a smile.

"You will just have to trust me," he replies.

We have been travelling through the Pink Valley now for almost 4 weeks and I have become accustomed to the never ending fields of pink and the slightly disconcerting feeling this brings. Peeta and I walk in a companionable manner with Peeta challenging me to use my magic to float large rocks and turn flowers into feathers. He laughs after I accidently hit a small pink rabbit with my magic and turn all its fur into feathers. It looks like an exploded chicken.

Peeta tries to impress me by throwing his knife and expertly cutting the stems of various hanging fruit. We laugh and joke and chase each other through the trees as we amble closer to Peeta's secret destination.

I have come to treasure moments like this with Peeta. I have often dreamed about escaping the palace boundaries and running wild but the reality is so much better than I expected. Here with Peeta I am free from responsibilities and expectations. There are no guards to watch my every move. I can run and hunt and climb trees and with no one to stop me and tell me it is dangerous. In fact Peeta is right behind me urging me on. I get strong sense of freedom linked to him.

Eventually we come across a small wooden gate set in a high stone wall. Peeta stops to turn and look at me with a triumphant grin. I look back at him quizzically.

"This is the best kept secret in District 12," Peeta declares before pushing the gate open and showing me inside.

At first it takes my eyes a while to get used to the range of colours on display because right in the centre of the Pink Valley is a small walled garden that is filled with every colour imaginable.

The grass is green and perfectly kept and is surrounded by tall ivy creeping up the sides of the walls and beds of wild flowers that grow untamed. There are yellows and blues and greens everywhere and my eyes greedily taken in the array of colours after weeks of only seeing shades of pink.

A twisted oak tree stands in one corner and a lone mockingjay sits on its branches staring at us curiously. An aged wooden bench with elaborate carvings of woodland animals sits near the entrance and colourful butterflies flit around our heads. It feels like our own little bit of paradise.

Peeta watches me with a smile as I take in all the sights and sounds around me. I twist and turn as I want to soak in everything there is here. It is beautiful.

"How did you find this place?" I ask in awe.

Peeta gives me a big smile before walking over to me.

"My dad used to tell stories about a secret garden in the middle of the Pink Valley. Supposedly it was built by a young gardener whose wife was made sick by all the pink in their village. Apparently this was a sanctuary for her," he replies.

I smile as I continue to scan the surroundings.

"He must have loved her a lot," I state. The place really is a piece of heaven in a wilderness of pink.

"He did," Peeta replies his gaze fixed on me.

I shiver goes up my spine at the intensity of his stare.

Peeta is the one to break the look as he shakes his head and looks down.

"My brother thought it was a load of nonsense but I was not convinced. I was determined to find it when I first joined up with Johanna and Finnick. I eventually found it after chasing a evil tree nymph," he says.

"You have a brother?" I ask.

I have discovered a lot about Peeta in the last month but his family is a subject he keeps close to his chest. I have no idea about where he comes from or who he left behind.

His eyes darken a little at my question and I sense that I have over stepped some sort of a line.

"I had 2," he replies before turning away from me to go and sit on the bench.

I watch him for a moment but realise he is not going to expand. I notice his use of the past tense and cannot help but wonder what happened to them. I know he has nightmares of his own and I have long since assumed they have something to do with the family he does not talk about. He has cried out names in his sleep before and always clung to me desperately afterwards. I have never pressed him for more answers but his refusal to share this with me hurts a little. I know there is nothing I would not tell him if he asked.

Neither of us say anything for a while. Three other mockinjays join the lone one on the tree and they begin singing a soft melody. I have always been amazed at the mockingjay's ability to mimic and remember any melodies they hear. The one they are currently singing reminds me of one of the waltzes back in the palace.

Suddenly feeling a bit homesick I begin to spin and hum along to the tune. I love dancing in the palace. I love that it feels like I am floating in air as I am spun about the dance floor. Dancing with my father was always my favourite as he would disregard the set moves and routines and spin me about in a reckless abandon. I get a pain in my chest at the memory. I still miss my father every day and I get an urge to get that feeling I have when I dance with him.

I move over to Peeta and stick out my hands for him.

"Dance with me," I demand with a smile.

Peeta looks shocked and shakes his head.

"I don't know how to. I would not want to step on your toes," he says with a smile.

"Fortunately for you I have been dancing for 13 years. I can teach you. You have to trust me" I declare.

I stare down at him impatiently. I will not take no as an answer. Peeta looks back at me warily. I continue to stare him down and eventually he drops his head and shakes it in concession.

"You could convince me to fly to the moon," he says as he reluctantly gets up off the bench.

He stands in front of me and I eye him triumphantly. I take his hand in mind and force him into hold. I begin moving us in time with the mockingjay melody as we spin about the garden. The mockingjays seem to double in number and their chorus grows louder.

It is clear Peeta does not know what he is doing and I have to lead him. He often takes a wrong step and treads on my toes. He apologises profusely throughout but I do not mind. It is still the most enjoyable dance I have ever done.

He holds me close as we spin around and I relish the feeling of his warm hand on the small of my back. It seems to burn right through my tunic and causes the butterflies in my stomach to multiply. I do not stick to a set routine and make it up as it goes, spinning and dipping when I feel like it. At times our limbs get tangled together and I cannot help but laugh. When Peeta sees my amusement he laughs too and we spend the rest of the dance giggling and constantly tripping over each other. He relaxes and I can tell he is enjoying himself too.

With all the training and travelling we do not get a lot of time to be carefree like this. Both of us have massive grins on our faces. Here we can forget about the dangers and responsibilities that await us outside.

As the mockingjay melody comes to an end we stop and stand silently in the middle of the garden. He has wrapped me close to him and my head rests on his shoulder. We sway side to side as we enjoy this quiet moment. There is a tingling in my body that is different from the one I have when I use magic. I inhale his scent of earth and wild flowers. I bury my nose into his tunic to inhale it more deeply as he rubs soft circles on my back.

I feel content.I realise that this is the place I feel safest.

I have not put a word for the way I feel about Peeta. Part of me knows it is dangerous for me to do so. He can be nothing to me when I return home. And yet it is getting harder and harder to deny.

I thought I was in love with Prince Gale. In all the books I had read the girls had been in love with men because they were handsome and rich and brave so I assumed I loved the Prince because of this. But I now realise that is shallow. I think I was more in love with the idea of love with the Prince than him as a person.

As for Peeta I do not know. I realise I know nothing of love and what it entails. Can I use the word if I do not know for certain what it means?

I know I want to spend every minute possible with him. That he is the first thing I think about in the morning. That just seeing him puts a smile on my face. I enjoy the feeling he causes when he kisses me, making me feel like I am burning like a star. He gives me a sense of invincibility that makes me feel like anything is possible. He makes me feel liberated and strong. I am happiest when he is happy.

But I am afraid to piece together what this all means.

The garden is silent as the mockingjays stop and flitter away. We continue to stand there clutching each other, neither one of us willing to let go.

* * *

After a while Peeta picks his head up and turns it sharply in the direction of the gate. He strains his ears as if trying to listen for something. Suddenly he lets go of me and grabs hold of my hand. His eyes become very focused.

"Tracker jackers," he states. "They have found us. We need to get out of here now."

My heart picks up a bit in panic but I nod my head in understanding and let Peeta drag me out the garden.

Our time out from the journey has ended.

We sprint back towards camp and to Finnick and Johanna but they meet us half way. Johanna has her axe and Finnick his trident as we stop to regroup.

"Tracker jackers," Finnick confirms. "Must be less than 20 miles away and gaining quickly."

Peeta nods his head in agreement. Their heightened senses can hear the buzz of the mutts that my human ears cannot.

"It was too good to be true for them to stay away forever. My guess is that they want to split us up and pick up Katniss afterwards. This means we need to stick together," he says.

It has been so long since we have been in any danger that I have forgotten how determined Peeta gets. I can almost see the cogs in his brain turning as he filters through all the possibilities.

Johanna nods her head in agreement.

"They seem to be coming from all angles. It might be a trap," she says.

"We don't have time to think. We need to get out of the Pink Valley now. We can lose them in the rocks of the Avoxes," Peeta replies.

I do not understand the plan fully. I do not understand how we can lose them in rocks but the rest of the group do and I have faith in them to get us all to safety. They waste no more time formulating a plan and Peeta is soon dragging me behind him as we race out of the valley.

Soon I too hear the buzz of the tracker jackers and know they are close. Peeta has described them to me but I am unprepared for the first glimpse I catch of one. They are enormous, the body the size of a horse and wings the size of dining tables. Their eyes are huge and black and the sting on their tail is the length of a long sword. I take a gulp and sprint even faster than I did before.

Johanna is right. The mutts come at us from 3 sides, forcing us to race towards a heavily wooded area. The tall pink trees loom in front of us and for some crazy reason I think we will be safe if we reach them.

I continue to grip onto Peeta's hand tightly but it has grown sweaty and calmly as the panic takes over. The blood in my ears pound as the blood rushes to my face and the lactic acid builds up in my leg muscles. Peeta trips and falls at one point and I have to stop and haul him up. When we resume running one tracker jacker is right on our tail.

Johanna and Finnick are ahead of us and I see them bound into the clump of trees. Peeta and I come hurtling in after them. Like everything else in the valley the bark of the trees are pink and they are in full blossom. However when we enter there is also a soft pink haze. We continue to run as the mutts bear down on us. Suddenly Finnick cries out in pain and collapses in front of us. A confused Johanna bends down to urge him to get up as he continues to squirm in agony. When she turns him over we see a row of oozing boils on the side of his face.

Johanna looks down at him even more confused than before she lets out a loud cry too and reaches her hand round to touch the back of her neck. Similar boils have appeared on her skin as well. Peeta and her share a confused look before their eyes widen in realisation.

"It's the trees. They have released their poison. That must be what the pink haze is," Peeta says.

I frown at this news but I am then suddenly hit by a stinging sensation on my hand. I jerk my hand to hold it close to my chest and watch as the boils bubble up onto my skin.

"We need to get out of here," Peeta says urgently as soon as he sees the boils on my skin.

The tracker jackers have stopped at the edge of the woods and I get a sense that they have us surrounded. I realise this was their plan all along. To trap us here, possible kill the people who have been protecting me and pluck me out.

The others do not seem to have figured this out and Johanna only nods her head in agreement as she tries to pull Finnick up. The whole of the left side of his body is covered in the bulbous boils and it is clear he cannot move on his own. He groans as Johanna lifts him and we try to find a way out.

We try to keep low and below the pink haze but it still manages to lick our bodies and cause searing pain to course through them. We twist and turn but the tracker jackers are at every exit we try to leave through. Our situation quickly becomes hopeless as it gets more difficult to move as more boils pop up on our bodies.

And then I see them. 3 tall women that seem to float along in a bubble. 2 are young, one with flowing blonde hair and the other cat like with dark skin. The third is older with grey hair and a stern look. From the descriptions from Peeta I know I have caught my first glimpse of the Tribute witches.

Peeta trips and screams in pain as the boils pop up on the side of his face. An exhausted Johanna falls down beside him bringing Finnick down with her. I am the least affected and crouch down to tend to Peeta. He groans as I try to move him. All the training we have done will not get us out of this situation. At no time did we discuss how to escape poisonous fog. I let out a frustrated yell as once again I am rendered useless.

Johanna is on all fours as she looks up at me. She spies the Tribute witches ahead of me and then narrows her eyes.

"Princess you have to use your magic to save us. Put us in a bubble like they are in," she says tipping her head at the descending witches.

I look back but shake my head. I have not practised such a spell. It would need a lot of power to get right.

"I do not know how!" I yell.

Peeta and Finnick have now both fallen into unconsciousness. The sense of panic at not being able to help Peeta is beginning to overwhelm.

"Yes you can. Just pick a strong memory. One that is linked to a strong emotion. If you don't we will all die!" Johanna screams.

I shake my head violently. I am too panicked at the moment to think straight. I will not be able to focus enough to do it.

"Peeta will die," Johanna stresses. "I know you can't let that happen."

I snap up to look at her. She has boils all down her neck and she is breathing heavily. She has teased me about my precious upbringing but I know now she no longer judges me for it. She is willing me to try and save us all and she knows the threat of Peeta's life is enough to convince me to do so.

I look back down at Peeta whose body twitches as the poison continues to affect him. His brilliant blue eyes are closed to me and I try to imagine a life where I never get to see their brightness again. My heart clenches as I see him in pain and I realise that I will be broken if he dies here.

I nod my head at her and close my eyes to try and concentrate. I take deep breaths as I try to focus on slowing my heart rate and conjuring up a strong memory.

Immediately I go back to this morning and the feel of Peeta's hands on me. The warmth in my chest and the tingling in my body as he kissed me. I remember touching him and the pride I felt at making him feel that way. The power I felt at making him tumble over the edge. The happiness and security I felt as I lay in his arms after.

Slowly the familiar tingling starts to course through my body. I force it all into my fingertips and picture the bubble that could protect us from the fog and the witches. One that allows us to float to safety.

Slowly a transparent film begins to rise out of the ground. I concentrate on the smooth formation of it as I bring it over our heads and down the other side. It takes the most power and control that I have ever had to use but eventually it reaches the other side and encases us in. I drop my hands panting after my efforts. Johanna looks at me with an admiring smile.

Gently the bubble picks itself off the ground and begins to float away. The pink haze hits the outside and flows over the surface but does not seep inside. The Tribute witches see us and I can see the fury in the eyes. They try firing spells at us but the bubble is strong and we continue to float away. They try to follow after us but their bubble is weak and the haze begins to seep in. They have no option but to give up the chase, the tracker jackers following behind them.

I smile triumphantly as I watch them flee.

I sit on the ground of the bubble with Peeta's head in my lap. I sit stroking his sweaty curls as we float in the air. The boils appear red and angry on his skin. I am still terrified they have had a deadly effect. But thankfully as we continue to float he groans a little and slowly opens his eyes.

I smile broadly at him as he wakes and gives me a weak smile in return.

"Am I in heaven or are we really floating in a giant bubble?" he says.

I let out a little laugh and bend down to give him a chaste kiss.

"A grouchy and boiled Johanna would not be in my version of heaven," I reply with a smile tipping my head in the direction of a grumpy Johanna who is tending to Finnick.

Peeta smiles again.

"Always surprising me," he mumbles before closing his eyes again and drifting back to sleep.

I continue to stoke his curls and place a soft kiss on his forehead as we continue to float to safety. I am relieved that the danger is over for now.

* * *

Johanna suggests we go back to Annie to help us heal Finnick. While the rest of us are now all conscious Finnick has still not woken up. I know it worries the others.

Annie dances over to us when we arrive, before frowing when she sees an unconious Finnick giving us a salve that soothes the skin and reduces the boils. She hums as she begins flinging ingredients into a shell and attending to Finnick personally. Johanna and Peeta watch on with concerned eyes.

Finnick eventually comes too but the ear piercing screams he admits makes me wish he had not. He is clearly in a lot of pain and it is uncomfortable to watch. Annie suggests that the poison has affected some of his organs. At this news Peeta goes pale and walks away. I look after him contemplating whether I should follow him. Johanna catches my stare and gives me a nod of the head urging me to go after him.

I smile back at her weakly before rushing after Peeta.

I find him slumped against a tree with his head in his hands. In all the time I have been with him I have never seen him so disheartened. He is normally full of smiles and jokes. I walk over to him and take a seat beside him. I can see the unshed tears in his eyes.

For a while neither of us speak. I do not know the right words so I sit quietly and wait for him to say something.

"Johanna and Finnick are the only family I have left. I can't lose him," he states desperately.

My heart clenches at his words. The pain is palpable in his voice.

"You will not lose him. Annie will not let that happen," I say.

Peeta snorts and hangs his head.

"I lose everyone I love," he states bitterly.

The curiosity about his family and his life before this comes to the fore again. It is clear to me that whatever happened haunts him and is part of the reason for his pain and fear currently.

"What happened to your family?" I ask.

As soon as I say it I know it is the wrong thing to say. He turns to me and the sadness is replaced by anger.

"Why do you want to know? It's none of your business," he replies angrily.

The logical part of my brain tells me that his fear for Finnick's life is causing him to act this way but I am still hurt that he does not trust me with this.

"Because it is clearly something that hurts you and I hate seeing you in pain. I just want to try and understand so maybe I can help make it better," I reply.

"You can't make it better. You can never understand what I have gone through. Your life is completely different. I don't need your pity," he snarls.

I am shocked by the intensity of his anger. Even when we bickered those first few weeks he never spoke to me in this tone.

"I am not trying to pity you. I want you to trust me. You are always going on about how I need to trust you but how can I if you will not trust me with this. I could never judge you. Whatever it is I will still feel the same about you," I reply.

"That's the problem! You shouldn't feel anything for me! You can only help me by leaving me alone," he says.

I sit and stare at him angrily for a few moments. His words cut harder than I thought possible. To dismiss whatever relationship we have hurts. He refuses to look at me and I realise he is not going to apologise anytime soon. I blink back my tears, get up and storm off leaving him alone with his grief and anger.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: A lot of people were a little angry at the way Peeta treated Katniss at the end of the last chapter. I kind of like having Peeta push Katniss away for a change. So often it is Katniss that keeps Peeta at arms length.**

**Thanks as always to all the people who read/review/follow this story. I am so glad that you are all still enjoying it.**

* * *

Chapter 8

_Peeta_

I sit and wallow in my pain and grief until after the sun has set. A series of images that include Finnick's boiled body, flames engulfing terrified screams and Katniss's hurt face run in a loop through my mind. All the emotions I have been trying to suppress come to the fore and threaten to break me.

My fear and worry for Finnick is almost crippling. I have come to view Finnick as an annoying older brother who teases me and tries to educate me about sex. I love his abundance of energy and slightly cocky bravado because I know underneath it all is a genuine young man who just craves to be loved. He has taught me so much since I joined the group. I am used to seeing him being strong and I can't be around him when he is weak and in obvious pain. His tortured screams haunt me and make me feel nauseous. I can't lose him but I am powerless to help him.

My fear over Finnick's life is only beaten by the anger and guilt I feel towards Katniss. My head knows that she was only trying to help me earlier but I am just so angry at her for bringing up my family. There is a reason I don't talk about them. They are in the past and she has no right to nose about my business. It won't make anything better if I tell her and she can't possibly understand. Even after all she has grown this past month she is still a sheltered princess. She has never had to experience that grief and guilt. It is best that she stays away.

Eventually it is my rumbling stomach that forces me back to camp. I do not look forward to facing an in pain Finnick and hurt Katniss.

* * *

When I return back to the campsite I find Katniss shut up in her tent and Finnick sleeping soundly by the fire. His head sits in Annie's lap and she sings him an old sea song as she strokes his hair tenderly. For all she toys with his heart, deep down Annie truly cares for him. She will not leave his side until he has fully recovered. If he fully recovers.

Johanna is sitting on a rock sharpening her axe and she looks up at me as I arrive. I walk over to her and take a seat next to her. She is the only person I can handle speaking to right now. I know she won't give me any bullshit.

"How is he?" I ask tipping my head in Finnick's direction.

Johanna stops sharpening her axe to look over at him too.

"Better. Annie gave him some sleep syrup that has knocked him out cold but he will still be in a lot of pain when he wakes. We won't be able to move for a few days but I think he will pull through," she replies.

I look down and let out a sigh of relief. I trust Annie to make him better.

"We've gotten into some pretty bad scrapes in the past but none as bad as this. Part of me can't believe we got out," I say.

"Yeah Princess really pulled it out the bag," Johanna replies as she drops the stone she was using to sharpen her axe.

A twinge of pain in my heart occurs at the mention of Katniss. Johanna looks at me expectedly as I keep my head low.

"Are you going to tell me what happened between you and her? She came storming back here with tears in her eyes and took herself off into her tent. She hasn't appeared since," Johanna says.

I concentrate on the spot of rock in front of me. I don't want to talk about this.

"We got into a fight. She asked about my family and I told her it was none of her business," I reply hoping that will be enough for her.

Johanna lets out a disbelieving sigh and shakes her head as she leans back against the rock.

"You are playing a dangerous game with her," she says.

I don't reply.

"She is the princess and future queen of our district. You are a lowly Phantom Hunter. And it is clear to anyone with eyes how much you care about her and that was before I heard your little show this morning. The King would have you hung if he knew what you were doing."

"You don't think I don't know that! I know I can't have a place in her life. I am trying to push her away!" I reply bringing my head back up to look at Johanna.

She doesn't say anything for a moment and I can see genuine sympathy in her eyes.

"I didn't say that you should push her away. If anything you should be running into that tent and begging for her forgiveness," she says.

I am stunned at her words. Johanna has made no attempt to hide her contempt towards Katniss and how inappropriate it is for me to spend so much time with her. This change in heart has taken me by complete surprise.

She sighs and moves closer to me.

"I know I have not hidden my dislike for her. I still think she is a sheltered and precious little rich girl but she has shown some fierce dedication and determination in the last couple of weeks. We'd have all died today if it wasn't for her. I think you have a lot to do with that. You have brought out that side of her," she says.

I sit and look at her in confused silence. This is not what I was expecting.

"And I think she has been good for you too," she adds. "You have relaxed since she's joined us. You smile more, tell more bad jokes, you have become less caught up and focused on plans and live more for the moment. I've enjoyed seeing you like that."

I turn away and shake my head.

"It's better if I stay away," I reply.

"For who? For her crying in her tent? Or for you sitting moping out here? Tell me. How many nightmares have you had since you started sharing a tent with her?" she asks.

I look back down to the ground. I don't want to admit that my nightmares have remarkably diminished and become less intense. Even when I get the occasional one and wake in a cold sweat the warm presence of Katniss beside me is enough to calm me down.

"I understand why you don't want to tell her about your family. I know it is a painful subject for you but that girl in there cares about you and only wants to make things better for you," Johanna adds.

"It's just a crush," I say. I can't allow myself to think of it as anything more.

"It's a lot more than that and you know it. That bubble spell she performed today, she was only able to conjure it when your life was threatened. It was the strength of her feelings for you that allowed her to perform a spell that powerful," Johanna replies.

I take a deep sigh as I look at Johanna. I can't deal with this on top of everything else.

"Do us all a favour and go and speak to her about it. It's not going to change the way she feels about you and god help me it I have to put up with her pouting and your mopey face for the next month," Johanna says.

"I don't think I can," I state sadly.

Johanna lets out an exasperated sigh and gets up to leave, picking up her axe as she stands.

"You're just as stubborn as her," she mumbles before disappearing off to her own tent.

I watch her leave as I continue to ponder her words. I look over to Katniss's tent and debate about going in. But in the end I can't do it. Everything I am feeling is too raw. I pick myself up and go and set up my own tent for the first time in 4 weeks.

* * *

Johanna's words continue to swirl about my head. Part of me knows the reason I pushed Katniss away this afternoon is because I am scared about how I feel about her. Johanna is right, the King will have me killed if he discovers what we have been doing. I know I have no place in her life. I know I am not allowed to have her. Apologising to her is not going to change that fact. I know by staying away I am trying to protect part of myself.

But I miss her presence as I settle down for the night. There feels too much room in the tent. The blanket doesn't smell the same. Her shallow breaths are not there to lull me to sleep. I toss and turn as I try to get to sleep without any success.

When I do eventually fall asleep I dream of fires and my family's screams. As always I am trapped in a cage as I watch my family perish in the flames. I try to block out their screams with my hands but to no avail. I am powerless to save them. But the dream takes a new turn tonight. I hear her screams combined with my father and brothers. Her screams cut through me like a knife and I scream her name and rattle the bars of the cage in a desperate attempt to reach her. But it is no use. Her screams die right along with my family's.

I wake with a start and a thin layer of sweat across my skin. My heart hammers in my chest and the fear and grief I felt in my dream don't disappear. My head knows that she is most likely safely sleeping in her tent but my heart knows I won't calm down until I see her.

I close my eyes and count to ten. I know I can't go back to sleep. I will only dream of losing her again. I realise that even if I try to stay away from her I can't. Not while it is my duty to protect her. I am already in too deep with her. I realise that Johanna is right. In the morning I will have to go and apologise and tell her about my past. It is the only way I will feel content again.

* * *

When morning arrives I get up and go and check on Finnick. He still sleeps soundly beside Annie and she looks up at me with tired eyes.

"He has got through the worst of it. I think he will wake today," she says.

I give her a relieved smile and offer to make her some breakfast for them both. She smiles gratefully and sits up as she watches me gather the pots.

As I make breakfast I notice that the flap of Katniss's tent is open signalling that she has risen for the day. She is not in the immediate surroundings of the camp and it concerns me a little that she has gone off by herself. As soon as I have given breakfast to Annie and Finnick I go off in search of her.

I don't have to wander too far before I find her in amongst a cluster of apple trees shooting arrows rapidly at hanging apples. An arrow whizzes past one apple, knocking it slightly before the arrow strikes the tree and tumbles down. She lets out an annoyed huff as she prepares to shoot the next one.

It is clear from her expression that she is angry and taking it out on these poor unsuspecting apples. I watch her for a moment as she misses another apple. I am a little wary of approaching her.

"You are not pulling your arm far back enough," I state as I take a tentative step towards her.

She turns with the bow drawn, pointing it at my chest with a fury in her eyes. I take a step back and put my hands up in defence.

"Woah. Don't shoot. I came to apologise," I say.

Her features soften slightly and she lowers the bow but I can still see she is angry at me for pushing her away yesterday.

"I was just trying to help," she says.

I smile at her and take a few more steps towards her.

"I know. It's just my family are a painful subject for me. Even Johanna and Finnick don't know the whole story," I say.

Sadness crosses her features now.

"It hurt me to hear you say that I could never understand. It made me feel like the spoilt princess you treated me like when I first arrived," she says.

"I apologise. I don't think of you like that at all. You have more than proven that you are more than a precious princess. We would all be dead if it wasn't for you," I reply.

"Then tell me about them. You can trust me," she says.

I take a deep breath as I nod my head in agreement and gesture for her to come and sit down with me. She nods her head, puts down the bow and takes a seat next to me. She sits further away from me than I would like. I take a deep breath before starting.

"I grew up in a village called Seam on the outskirts of the District. My family owned the bakery there and my father was always teaching my 2 brothers and me how to make bread and simple cakes. He called us his three musketeers and the 4 of us were all really close. Father was an optimist and always saw the good things in life. He passed that down to us. Afternoons spent baking with them was full of laughter and flour fights," I begin, a small smile on my lips as I remember.

Katniss smiles at my memory.

"Our relationship with our mother was very different. She was bitter and mean tempered. She would shout and yell at us for getting in her way or walking too loudly when she was sleeping. My brothers and I grew to fear upsetting her. And that was before she started hitting us with the rolling pin," I carry on my tone growing darker.

I hear Katniss gasp at this first revelation but I carry on. I need to get through this with no interruptions.

"Father didn't know. She was sneaky, only hitting us where the bruises could be hidden. Once I watched her beat my brother Rye so severely he was left with a permanent limp but she blamed it on him tripping while running in the woods. I had been taught to never hate a person but by god I hated her. I used to go to bed dreaming of her leaving us and never coming back," I say.

Katniss continues to wait patiently as she lets me speak.

"I began realising that I had Phantom Hunters qualities when I was 10. I could hear nymphs singing and wolf mutts howling from miles away. The tattoo began to appear on the back of my neck. I kept it secret, scared of what my mother would do if she found out but began venturing out to find some of these magical beings. I managed to capture a flock of jabberjays when I was 11 and disarm a young warlock who had been experimenting torture spells on small children when I was 12. It became my obsession to find more magical creatures. A way to forget about my mother's blows."

I stop to take a breath. I have arrived at the part of the story that haunts me the most.

"I was working in the bakery one morning when my ears picked up the howls of a young wolf mutt. The mutt had been slaughtering livestock in the surrounding villages. Wolf mutts have a sort of prestige in Phantom Hunter circles. They are relatively rare and famously difficult to track and capture. I couldn't resist the chance to capture one for real. My father and brothers were all out making deliveries leaving just me and my mother sleeping upstairs. I knew she wouldn't notice I was gone so hastily left the bakery leaving the ovens still on. I managed to track the wolf mutt down to a nearby cave but I was young and inexperienced and the wolf managed to get away. I left the cave with ripped clothes and a dented pride."

"It was while I trudged back to Seam that I smelt it, the smell of smoke and burning. And then I heard the screams. At first just my mother. I realised that it was the bakery that was on fire but instead of rushing back I continued to meander back slowly. The dark part inside of me told me it was only my mother. She had tormented us for so long. In my tired and depressed state I wanted her gone. It would have been a convenient accident."

I see Katniss's eyes widen at my admission. It is the part of myself that I am most ashamed of.

"But as I got closer I realised there were other screams. I could hear my brothers and my father scream as the flames scorched and charred their bodies. I ran back but by then it was too late. The whole bakery was consumed by the fire. I couldn't get inside and I had to stand by and listen to the pained screams slowly fade to nothing. Rye was the last to go and it is his screams that haunt me the most at nights," I say as I begin to shake at the memory.

Katniss looks at me full of shock and sympathy and I have to turn away from her to finish.

"I discovered after that my father and brothers had arrived back earlier from the deliveries to find the place on fire. As I had left in such a rush to get to the wolf mutt I had failed to notice I brushed coals onto the floor. The wooden floors and thatched roof became kindling. My father and brothers rushed in to save my mother and put the fire out but they got trapped. Their deaths would have been slow and painful."

"I see them almost every night in my dreams. The fires and their charred bodies. I carry the guilt of their deaths around with me always. If I had just stayed in the bakery and not chased after a stupid ego catch or ran back when I first smelt the smoke they could still be alive now. Because of me all my family is gone. I am alone."

Before I can say anything else Katniss throws her arms round me and pulls me into a tight embrace. I hadn't realised the tears had started to fall down my cheeks until I see them stain the top of her tunic.

"You are not alone. There are people still here who love you and care for you," she whispers into my ear.

I cling onto her desperately and nod my head into her shoulder. She pulls her head back slightly to look me in the eye.

"My royal escort, Effie, used to tell me that when you love someone you have to love the whole person. Their faults as well as their strengths. I did not understand what she meant. But I do now. I love you. I love you for your intelligence and patience and how you can always make me smile but I also love the parts you do not like about yourself. I love you for trusting me enough to share that with me. Your past is painful and you hate yourself for it. But it does not change how I feel about you. If anything it makes me love you more because it shows you are only human," she says holding my head in her hands.

I blink back the tears but don't understand how she can love this part of me.

"I love you Peeta. All of you. And I am going to love the parts of yourself that you cannot," she says firmly.

I make a loud sniffle and look at her through watery eyes. She looks so determined and focused that I can't help but believe her.

"I thought I was the one that was supposed to be worldly wise when it came to love and romance,," I say trying to make a joke.

Katniss smiles a little.

"I guess you are rubbing off on me," she replies leaning in closer to me.

I lean into her touch and kiss the inside of her wrist.

"I love you too," I state.

She smiles at me sweetly and leans her head against my shoulder.

"I know," she replies.

I let out a small laugh and wrap my arm around her. We sit in silence as we come to terms with all that has just passed.

We've finally admitted what I was previously too scared to do. We have admitted that we love each other. This fact will bring its own trials and tribulations but for now we can just enjoy the moment.

* * *

We spend the rest of the day in the same spot talking about lighter subjects. We create a game to see who can shoot the most apples. I am almost ashamed to say that she beats me but the look of triumphant joy on her face is worth more than my dented pride.

We walk back to the camp hand in hand as the sun begins to set. I am relieved to see Finnick sitting up and functioning when we return and we spend some time reliving some of the previous day's adventures. Johanna gives me a small smile when she spots Katniss and my joined hands.

I feel lighter than I have in years and I know it has everything to do with the girl by my side.

That night I reclaim my position beside her in her tent and we kiss each other slowly but deeply. Her fingers tug on my hair as I run a hand up her side that causes her to shiver. We kiss like this for what seems like hours as we get used to the new found emotions that we have shared and expressed. Eventually I feel Katniss's hand trail down the side of my body and reach for my hardening member in the front of my breeches. When I feel her fingers brush against the side of my length I break away from her, sitting upright and capturing her wrist.

"I don't want you to expect to do that every night. I don't have any expectations of you doing it again," I say stopping her.

Katniss frowns.

"You do not want me to do it again?" she asks.

She looks a little hurt at my words.

"That's not what I am saying. What you did felt good. Really good but I just don't want you to feel like you have to do it again," I say.

"But I liked doing it," she says leaning in to kiss me.

I moan as her fingers trace the front of my trousers. My cock throbs and curses me for not letting stopping her.

I pull back and once again reclaim her wrist. I wrap an arm around her waist and tug her into my lap. She is so close to me that our noses are touching. I inhale her sweet scent of pine and wild berries.

"If you are going to insist on doing this then you have to let me do something for you," I state bringing a hand to cup her cheek.

I feel a hitch in her breathing as I do so. My other hand trails down her body and along her thigh. I pause momentarily where her nightdress has bunched up on her leg and play with the hem.

"I'm going to continue our biology lesson from yesterday," I say as I dip my hand underneath her skirt and skim the skin underneath there. "I told you what happens when a man gets aroused and tonight I am going to tell you what happens when a woman does."

Her breathing hitches as my fingertips trail up her thigh and closer to her heat.

"When a woman gets aroused her body prepares itself by producing a natural lubricant," I say as my hand creeps closer to her core and sweep across the wetness that has gathered there. I am a little surprised just how wet she is.

"Feel this wetness," I whisper in her ear as I gather it on my fingers. Katniss bites her lip and nods her head in response. "This shows me that you want me. That you are as aroused as much as I am."

Katniss takes a deep breath as I run my finger up through her slick folds.

"I'm going to make you feel as good as you made me feel yesterday. You just have to trust me," I whisper.

Katniss grips onto my shoulders as she nods her head in confirmation. I drag my finger up and press down on that special nub.

Immediately she cries out and falls against me still clinging onto my shoulders. I turn her head to kiss her deeply as I begin making small circles around her clit. She moans into my mouth as I continue to work her.

Our lips break apart and she rests her forehead against mine as she begins panting in response to my ministrations. She whimpers and my name begins to tumble from her lips as her juices soak down onto my hand. She looks beautiful as I watch her teeter closer to the edge.

Boldly I stick a finger inside her before slowly inserting a second one. She is so tight and my erection begins to throb painfully in my breeches. Unconsciously she begins riding my hand and I don't think I have seen a more beautiful sight. Her moans get louder and I can feel her walls clenching around my fingers. I know it is only a matter of time before she tumbles over the edge for the first time.

Moments later I feel her body tense around me and she shudders against me. I grab hold of her lips to swallow her moans. Her walls pulsate around my fingers before I slowly withdraw them and wipe them on my breeches.

She falls against my chest and I hold her close as she allows her breathing to get back to normal.

I smile and kiss the top of her head, proud and satisfied that I made her feel this way. We have connected in many ways today and I enjoy the intimacy sharing these things have brought with it.

"What did you just do to me?" Katniss asks once her breathing has returned to normal.

"That, my love, was your first orgasm. And I plan to give you many more," I reply before capturing her lips in another searing kiss.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 9

_Katniss_

I poke around the wooden bowl in search for a particularly juicy gooseberry. My fingers latch onto a particularly large one and I pick up the green berry with a mischievous smile. I look up at Peeta and find him staring back at me expectedly.

"Hurry up Princess! Give me your best shot!" he challenges cheekily.

I smile mischievously at him again and twirl the berry around in my hand.

We have been playing this game for near an hour now. We have settled for camp tonight and Peeta and I have been amusing ourselves by throwing berries for the other to catch with their mouth. It seems Peeta is some sort of expert at this and has elegantly leaped for every ridiculously high gooseberry I have tossed. He has been rather smug about it all and I plan on wiping the cocky grin off his face.

I stop twirling the berry about and look back at him with a sly grin. I raise my hand up, preparing to aim, while Peeta crouches into position and he puts his hands on his thighs to steady himself. I give him another cheeky grin before pulling my arm back and pelting the gooseberry hard at his eye. My target shooting has improved drastically and the gooseberry hits my intended target, the corner of his eye, bursting and squirting its sweet juices into his eye.

Peeta curses and hastily tries to wipe the juices out of his eye as I stand back and try to stifle a giggle. Once the worst of the juices are gone he looks back at me with an accusingly look.

"You did that on purpose," he says with a smile as he stalks towards me.

There is a mischievous glint in his eye that tells me he is not going to let me get away with this unpunished. He wants to play with me. My teeth bite down on my bottom lip as I try not to burst out laughing. I could not have planned that shot to be more perfect.

I start walking backwards and away from him as he continues to stalk towards me. However Peeta takes this as an invitation for a challenge and he quickens his pace in his haste to pursue me. I let out a light laugh as I turn and run away from him engaging fully in the game.

He chases me around and just outside the small campsite, darting round trees and jumping over logs in his pursuit. I continue to laugh and giggle as he inches closer to me before finally his arms wrap around my waist and he pulls my back against his chest.

"You're in trouble now Miss Everdeen," he whispers in my ear as his lips descend down to gentle suckle on my neck.

I sink back into him and let out an audible moan as his kisses bring out my skin in gooseflesh.

I twist in his arms and my hand slides round his neck to bring his lips to mine in a heated kiss. My whole body tingles as a result.

"I should get into trouble more often," I mumble against his lips and this causes Peeta to smile broadly into the kiss.

"As long as I am always there to catch you," Peeta replies.

It is my turn to smile now and our kisses gradually slow to a stop. Peeta places a tender kiss on my forehead before sliding his hand down my arm and entwining our fingers together. I lean my head against his shoulder as we walk the short distance back to camp.

It surprises me how easy it is to be with Peeta like this. I was terrified that my declaration of love for him 2 weeks ago would change things. That he would push me away and keep his distance from me. But much to my heart's relief he shares my sentiments and the whole experience has brought us closer together.

We enjoy many small moments like this one where we tease and play with each other. I do not feel self conscious around him and delight in being free to engage in simple frivolities. I am not bound to anything and can concentrate solely on just being happy with him.

Part of my head knows that our behaviour is improper. I know that we come from very different backgrounds and I have been taught that any form of affection should be saved for marriage. But when I am around Peeta I cannot find it in myself to care. The physical aspect of our relationship has been an unexpected but exhilarating surprise. My heart struggles to comprehend how something that is considered a sin can be so pleasurable and intimate. The intimacy I share with Peeta is unrivalled to anything I have ever experienced before. It connects me to him and forges a deep sense of trust and love between us both.

As we approach camp we are met by the smoky smells of charred squirrel and Johanna is busy hacking bits of meat of the scrawny body and dishing it onto wooden plates. Finnick stands feeding Maisy a carrot as he waits for his dinner. He is now fully recovered from his ordeal with the tracker jackers. A mixture of herbal remedies, the spring's healing waters and Annie's tender loving care nursed him back to health and he is just as cheeky and exuberant as ever.

Peeta finds a seat on an old tree stump and pulls me down onto his lap as he takes a plate from Johanna. I snuggle back into his chest savouring the feeling of his strong arms around me. He picks a strip of the blackened meat and holds it up for me to eat. I lunge forward and wrap my lips around his fingers to take the meat out of his hands. I spend a few moments licking the excess juices off his fingertips. His eyes darken a little as he watches me suck off the juices and another type of hunger begins to brew in my belly.

However the craving is not satisfied as Peeta pulls his eyes away from my lips and places a chaste kiss on my temple. I slump a little unhappy I am not getting more but know Johanna and Finnick would probably not appreciate it if we took things further.

In fact I can see Johanna roll her eyes at our little display as she settles down on the grass to eat her own dinner.

"Peeta, I take it back. I think I would have preferred you to have not made up and you moping around instead of this nauseating display. You two are so smitten with each other it puts me off my dinner," she says as she picks at her charred bit of rabbit.

I can feel Peeta smiling into the side of my head and Finnick barks out a laugh.

"Your love is right out of a story book. The poor Phantom Hunter falls madly in love with the beautiful princess. Minstrels will be singing about this for decades!" Finnick declares.

Peeta tenses his arms around me at this comment. Our greatly differing backgrounds have been a forbidden topic between the two of us. We have chosen to focus on the here and now instead of dwelling on what will happen once I go home. I know that I do not like the thought of leaving him.

"You are both just jealous. I know you were both vying for Katniss's affections as well. It's not my fault I am so devilishly handsome and charming," Peeta replies trying to joke Finnick's comment off.

Johanna shakes her head and Finnick lets out another laugh.

"Finnick you have my authority to shoot me if I ever become like that with another human being. The world doesn't need to see that," Johanna says waving a finger between us.

"So I don't have to shoot you if I see you getting as cosy as that with Maisy over there?" Finnick replies tipping his head towards the aging mare quietly chewing on the grass.

Johanna frowns and reaches for a nearby knife. She throws it at Finnick and he dodges out the way as it flies past him and sticks into a nearby tree. Finnick laughs before tearing a piece of squirrel off with his teeth.

I just smile and snuggle back into Peeta. We have become used to their teasing over the last couple of weeks. I know it is really about how much they care about Peeta and enjoy seeing him happy. Peeta relaxes as Finnick changes the conversation to the knife throwing skills of his old mentor and we can both forget about what will happen when the red moon passes in a few weeks.

* * *

Once the sun has set Peeta and I sit huddled together as we catch the warmth of the fire. The red moon shines down brightly on us illuminating the sky in a bloody red. Peeta does not like to sit too close to the flames. The emotional scars caused by the fire at his family's bakery run deep and I understand that he is not entirely comfortable around it. Finnick sits to our right practising tying knots while Johanna talks about strategy for the next couple of days.

The strategy has stayed the same for the majority of the trip. We are constantly moving and tend not to stay in one place more than a night, the exception was when Finnick was recovering. We have stayed away from towns and villages out of fear of someone recognising me and reporting back to my father.

It is strange to think at the beginning of this journey I was desperate for my father's guards to find me but I have come to realise that they are completely unequipped to deal with the dangers I am facing. I know I am safest here with Peeta and his friends.

However the tracker jackers continue to trail us and there have been a few occasions in the past couple of weeks when we have had to pack up in a hurry to evade the mutts that chase me. There was one particularly close moment only a few days ago where if it had not been for a shielding spell I managed to conjure we would have been swarmed by the ghastly beasts.

I know their presence is causing particular stress for Peeta. The last few days his sleep seems to have been plagued with nightmares. He does not thrash and scream out like I do but I have woken frequently in the night to find him sweating and pale as a sheet. He never talks about it, just pulls me close and tells me he is alright now before falling back to sleep. I highly suspect these most recent nightmares have a lot to do with the threat to my safety.

"Maybe we should move closer to the villages. They will not want to draw attention to themselves. Their greatest advantage of overthrowing the Districts is their anonymity. I don't think they would risk exposing their secret by sending tracker jackers to the villages," Johanna suggests.

Finnick agrees it is a possibility but Peeta sits deep in thought. Johanna stares at him expectedly. I have learnt that even though he is the youngest Peeta is the one to make the plans in the group. He is the most level headed of the lot and they trust his judgement above anyone else's.

"It might work for a little while but as the red moon draws nearer its end they will become desperate and the threat of exposing their secret won't stop them. We can't risk the lives of innocent villagers in this," he replies.

Johanna hangs her head and sighs. She knows he is right but is frustrated for a lack of a better plan.

"I think it's time to be more proactive," Peeta adds. "We still have 3 weeks until the moon disappears and I don't think we can keep evading the tracker jackers until then. They are getting too close. I think our only option is to attack them. I propose that we destroy their nest."

Johanna and Finnick both sit upright at Peeta's words. It is clear this is not what they were expecting to hear. This plan of action has been actively avoided as they did not want to engage me in anything that would put me in greater danger.

"It would definitely make a statement to the witches. Without the tracker jackers they would not find it so easy to track Princess," Johanna replies.

Peeta smiles at her and then turns his head towards Finnick.

"What about you Finn?" Peeta asks.

Finnick ponders it for a minute before his face breaks into a huge grin.

"I think it is about time we showed those witches what we are capable of. I am tired of constantly running from them!" Finnick declares.

Peeta's smile broadens. He then looks down at me.

"Are you ready for some real adventure?" he asks with a cheeky smile.

I smile back up at him.

"Absolutely," I reply.

Johanna and Finnick both give me a smile of admiration and I get a tingling in my body at the thought of actually attacking these witches. They have had us running scared for too long.

* * *

Peeta's plan is relatively simple. From Annie's information we know the witches have set up a camp on the top of Snow Mountain. That is where the tracker jackers' nest is located. It will take us a couple of days to trek up the mountain but once at the top Peeta and Finnick will provide a distraction, drawing the witches out, leaving the tracker jacker nest unprotected. It will then be left to Johanna and I to destroy the nest with fiery arrows.

The trek up the mountain is gruelling and arduous. There is no clear path to the summit and we often have to scale the bare rock of the mountain with our fingertips. I use a shielding spell to keep us invisible from the witches' watchful eyes as we climb closer to them.

The climate gets remarkable colder the closer we get to the top. I wrap the large bear skin cloak tight around my body as we battle up the snowy paths. The snow near the top covers the tops of my boots and the fierce wind chills me to the bone.

Eventually we see the witches' camp loom up ahead of us. A large fire expels copious amounts of smoke and a cauldron sits atop of it bubbling away menacingly. The three witches sit huddled round it as the dark skinned one flicks her hand in the air making the mockingjays that fly above their heads appear and disappear at her amusement. The blonde witch sits threading a string of jewels that she changes colour to suit her fancy.

The third witch, the cruellest looking of the lot, sits hunched over studying some sort of map. Her eyebrows are furrowed and it is clear even from this distance that something is frustrating her. The entrance of the cave with the tracker jackers' nest is to the right and a low buzzing can be heard coming from within.

Our own group stops to gather our wits before we launch our attack. Finnick pulls out the scarecrow we have made to loosely resemble me. The idea is for Finnick and Peeta to take it and run past the witches. It is hoped that they fall for the trick and chase after them both in their desperate attempt to capture me.

The scarecrow is an ugly thing with straw for hair and grey buttons for eyes. It is draped in the royal cloak I was wearing the day Peeta captured me but other than that it does not resemble me at all. We cannot let the witches get to close to it.

As Finnick picks up the scarecrow and throws it over his shoulder, Peeta turns to me with worried eyes.

"I still think that I should be the one to stay with you. I don't like the thought of leaving you alone," he says.

Johanna rolls her eyes as she takes out our bows to prepare them for our shots into the cave.

"We agreed that Katniss and I are the best shots. And we all know you can't handle a flaming arrow. She will be fine," Johanna replies.

Peeta goes pale at the mention of the flaming arrow. I scowl at Johanna for mentioning it. We are all aware of Peeta's reasonings for distrusting fire. I know it is one of the reasons he is reluctant to leave me.

He has stayed close to me the entire journey up the mountain. His nightmares have been frequent. His kisses more possessive. His reluctance to leave me has a lot to do with the fear of losing me.

I take a step towards him and reach a hand out to caress his cheek.

"I will be safe," I try to reassure him. "I am no longer that meek and defenceless princess you first met. I will only be a mockingjay call away from you."

He relaxes into my touch. With the mockingjays flying above us we can easily use them to communicate our signals. He reaches up to touch my hand before taking it off his cheek and gently kissing my knuckles.

"Don't do anything stupid," he says.

"I won't," I reply.

Peeta takes a deep breath and nods his head. He reaches out to kiss me softly on the lips before letting me go and stepping back towards Finnick.

They tell us to use the mockingjays to let them know when we have destroyed the nest before turning and racing towards the Tribute witches. Johanna and I stay hidden behind a large boulder as we watch Finnick, with the scarecrow over his shoulder, run under the witches and pull them in the opposite direction.

The witches are immediately up on their feet as they see Finnick and Peeta race past them. The eldest one screams a command to follow them and all three set off in pursuit of the boys and the raggedy scarecrow.

Johanna turns to me with a triumphant smile.

"I didn't think they would be stupid enough for them all to go. They really must be desperate for your blood," she says.

I narrow my eyes at her. Now is not the time to dwell on their desperation. We do not know how long the boys will be able to distract them. My hand tightens around my bow and I rise to my feet ready for our next phase of attack.

"We need to be quick. Let's go," I state.

Johanna raises an eyebrow at my authoritative tone. She is not used to me taking the lead. However she smiles wickedly at me and knocks her bow. We nod our heads in agreement before we stealthily make our way to the entrance of the cave.

The buzzing from the cave grows louder as we approach and it is clear that the tracker jackers are awake. We find another snow covered boulder to crouch behind that provides a perfect vantage point to shoot into the cave.

Johanna nods her head at me, gesturing for me to go first and I take a deep breath as I draw back my bow.

I concentrate on the memory of dancing with Peeta in the secret garden as I channel my magic to set the tip of the arrow on fire. The head of the arrow ignites into a flaming fire ball and my eyes narrow in on the intended target. I release my arm and let the arrow fly. The flaming arrow flies through the air leaving a trail of smoke before landing deep within the cave.

The buzzing gets louder as the large mutts get panicked by the fire. I quickly jerk back to let Johanna take her own shot. I use my magic to light her arrow before she quickly fires another arrow in.

The buzzing continues to grow and get more frenzied as Johanna and I continue to fire flaming arrows in quick succession. Soon the whole cave is alight and glowing from within. A few tracker jackers manage to escape but their wings are on fire and it does not take long before their wings disintegrate and the mutts crash into the snow sending snowflakes flying over the tops of our heads.

The buzzing starts to quieten as the fire consumes the cave, killing the mutts and thick black smoke billows out the entrance. Johanna turns to me with a triumphant grin and I return it with an equally big smile of my own. Our job has been done. We have been successful.

With the knowledge that the tracker jackers are as good as destroyed we turn and begin making our way to the rendezvous point half way down the mountain. I whistle a 3 note tune to the mockingjays to let Finnick and Peeta know we have been successful and to give up the chase of the Tribute witches.

The journey down the mountain is a lot more enjoyable knowing we have managed to succeed.

The rendezvous point is inside the dense forest below the snow line of the mountain. Johanna and I reach it safely and smile and laugh as we settle down to wait for the Finnick and Peeta. We send them another mockingjay signal to let them know we reached the point safely.

We munch on the last of our berries and Johanna begins making some more arrow heads as we wait for them. However an hour goes past and there is no sign of either Peeta or Finnick. They should have been a lot further down the mountain than us and it should not be taking them this long to reach us. I continue to grow more worried as I realise that we have not heard a mockingjay call in reply to our signal.

I become agitated as we continue to wait. My hands fumble with a loose thread on my tunic as my mind begins to conjure up images of the Tribute witches capturing Peeta, torturing Peeta, killing Peeta. And it would all be my fault. If they captured him it was because he was trying to protect me. It makes me feel sick to think he could be suffering as a result of me.

I can see that their absence is also worrying Johanna. Her head snaps round at the slightest noise hoping it is them and she sends out intermittent mockingjay calls hoping they will answer.

The nausea continues to build as the minutes go by. The familiar fear and panic I often feel in my nightmares appears. My hearts thumps in my chest. I fidget uncontrollably. My mind can only focus on all the different possibilities that could have resulted in Peeta's death.

I try to imagine a world where I cannot see his smile ever again. Or hear about his many adventures. Or the feel of his lips against my skin. The thought of that place makes my heart ache and clench into an uncomfortable knot.

The red moon appears in the sky and I am just about convinced that Peeta has met a ghastly and torturous death when we hear their joyous laughs approaching.

They appear from the trees with a large elk strung up between them and enormous smiles on their faces. Johanna and I both look at them in fury and they both immediately drop their smiles.

"Where the hell have you been?" I cry as I fling myself towards Peeta and begin banging my fists against his chest.

Any relief at seeing them alive has been replaced by anger at the sight of the pair of them being so jovial.

Peeta's eyes widen in shock as I continue to bang my hands against his chest. I can feel tears threatening to fall from the corners of my eyes but I do not let them. I am too angry at him to let him see me cry.

Johanna is giving Finnick an equally angry stare and the pair of them put the elk on the ground before Peeta wraps his arms around me and pulls me close.

"I'm sorry. We were on our way back after we heard your call when we spotted this mountain elk. We haven't had any proper meat in weeks. We thought you would be happy that we brought it back," he replies.

"You didn't return our calls!" Johanna exclaims.

Peeta and Finnick look guiltily between themselves.

"We didn't think," Finnick replies.

Johanna shakes her head in frustration.

"I thought you were dead! I thought they had killed you because of me!" I exclaim.

Peeta's arms tighten around me and he mumbles apologies into the side of my head.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean for you to worry. I am safe. I am here now," he replies.

All the emotions become too much for me. A mixture of anger, relief and happiness roll about my body. I cannot focus in on one of them. I cling to Peeta for a moment, afraid to let him go, before then pushing him off me and retreating into my tent still angry at him for putting me through such an ordeal. He leaves me alone as I wrap myself in sheets and listen to Johanna ranting at them for being so thoughtless.

* * *

Later that night Peeta taps on the flap of my tent and I begrudgingly let him in. He squeezes down next to me but I keep my back to him. My emotions are still fraught from having thought him dead and I do not think I am calm enough to forgive him for making me worry just yet.

"Katniss I am deeply sorry. I never meant for you to worry. I know I would be frantic if I thought you were missing. I am sorry for making you feel such a way," he says.

I do not say anything for a moment. The fiery part inside of me tells me to make him suffer and ignore him for the rest of the night but the part of me that loves him does not want him to go. In the cramped tent his familiar smell of pine is prominent and part of me wants to just turn round and bury myself within it.

Slowly I turn to face him and am met with his deeply apologetic blue eyes.

"You really scared me," I whisper. "I cannot imagine a life without you."

His eyes flood with empathy and he leans forward to rest his forehead against mine.

"I'm sorry. I can't imagine a life without you either," he replies.

I smile weakly and inhale his earthly scent. Neither of us acknowledges that there will be a time when we will be forced to separate.

"I love you so much," he says.

I tip my head up to look at him and smile.

"I love you too," I reply.

Peeta gives me a relived smile before tentatively taking my head in his hands and kissing me softly. My hands go up to grip his wrists as I return his kiss.

The kiss soon escalates and I am soon on my back with Peeta between my thighs as he plants kisses along my neck. I can feel him hard against me and snake a hand down between us to stroke him over his breeches.

Peeta hisses as he bites down lightly on my skin before pulling back and staring at me with lust fuelled eyes. His eyes travel down my entire body and he picks up one of my feet, extending and raising it off the ground and then placing a gentle kiss to the inside of my ankle. The kiss sends a tingle up my whole body causing my heart to beat faster.

"I think I have some making up to do," he states huskily as his lips begin to travel up the inside of my leg.

There is a hitch in my breath as he gently lowers my leg back to the ground and skims his hands up my thigh to bunch hold of the edge of my nightdress. Teasingly he pushes the edge of the dress up to expose me completely to him.

I expect his fingers to trail up to my centre like they have every night since we declared our love but to my surprise he bends down and begin kissing a trail up my leg. My breathing gets more erratic as he continues to kiss up my leg and the inside of my thighuntil I can feel his breath fan against my hot centre. He places a soft kiss at the juncture of my thighs before looking up from between my legs.

"Do you trust me?" he asks.

I should ask more questions. I have no idea what he plans to do but my entire being screams out for him to keep going. I can feel the wetness seeping out of me and dripping down my legs.

"I trust you," I reply.

Peeta gives me a wicked smile.

"Good," he replies before ducking down.

The next thing I am aware of is his warm tongue licking up through my folds. It is such a surprise I let out a little yelp but this does not seem to deter him. He continues to lick and suck out the juices that are seeping out of my entrance.

I do not know what possesses him to try such a thing. I cannot think of anything more repulsive but after the initial shock of having his tongue _there_ I realise that it is nice. I let out a loud moan as I spread my legs wider for him.

I can feel him smirk against me as his name falls from my lips for the first time tonight. The feeling is more intense than with his fingers and I feel myself beginning to unravel. My whole body hums with ecstasy and pleasure.

Just when I think it cannot get any more intense his tongue darts up and circles around my swollen clit and the pleasure is so sharp and intense I slam my head back against the ground and let out a loud cry. Peeta does not relent and his tongue twirls around me with a renewed vigour. He nips and sucks at it and the pressure continues to build in my body.

My body is slick with sweat and my breathing laboured as my whole body begins trembling at the presence of my impending orgasm. I feel like I am about to burst as the pleasure only continues to build and then with one purposeful flick of his tongue I explode, blinding me and rendering me speechless.

Peeta removes himself from between my legs and lies down next to me. He leans on his elbow as he looks down at me with a satisfied smirk. My chest is heaving as I struggle to regain control of my breath.

"I'm I forgiven yet?" he asks with a cheeky smile.

I turn my head towards him and wait for my breaths to slow.

"Where did you even learn to do something like that?" I ask.

No matter how good the act felt I still think it strange for something to decide to try it.

"Practise," he replies.

As my heart slows back to normal I suddenly realise what he means. I know he is more experienced in this area than me. I have heard Johanna joke about it with him but I had never given any thought to the other girls he must have been with to become this experienced.

I know his view point of these particular activities is very different from the one of my family's. I strongly suspect he has not saved himself for marriage. The thought of him being like this with another girl makes my heart clench.

"How many other girls have you been like this with?" I ask quietly.

Part of me does not want to know. I do not want to think about him touching other girls. I should be savouring in the afterglow of his actions. His expression grows serious and he frowns.

"What makes you ask?" he replies.

"You said you learned to do that through practise. I know you must have been with other girls. I have heard Johanna talk about you like that," I reply.

I pick at the dirt in the ground. I cannot look at him when he answers.

He shifts in closer to me and gently touches my cheek. Reluctantly I look up at him. His blue eyes are deadly serious.

"Does it matter? None of them have made me feel even a quarter of an inch of what you do," he replies.

I scoff and look down. I highly doubt an inexperienced princess has the same effect on him as the more experienced girls.

He forces me to look at him again and brings his face closer to mine.

"No. Do not underestimate yourself. You have no idea the affect you can have," he replies earnestly.

I want to believe him but the insecure part of me cannot.

"I love you. With all the other girls it was just about sex. There was no emotional connection. It was a nice escape. But with you it is completely different. I have never shared an intimacy like this with anyone. With you I feel the most alive I have ever felt. You stir things in me that no one else has ever done," he says.

I stare back at him. All this is new to me. This connection with another person. But as I look up into his sincere eyes I realise that some of this is new to him too. He may be an expert in sexual relations but he has no more experience about falling in love than I do. We are discovering these things together.

I snuggle into his chest and his arms instinctively go to wrap around me. His hand goes to my head as he begins massaging soothing circles there. He rests his chin on top of my head

"It scares me. How much I love you," I reply.

I can feel him smile above me but I know it must be bittersweet. It terrifies me just how much I care about this boy. The thought of losing him today was crippling. And the scariest thing is that I know at some point I will have to leave him.

"It scares me too," he replies.

* * *

**A/N: Over half way through the story now. Peeta and Katniss still have a few ordeals left before they get the HEA.**

**Thanks again to everyone that reads/reviews/follows this story. Any feedback you give me is much appreciated. I hope you all continue to enjoy what is coming up.**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 10

_Peeta_

A cool summer breeze rushes past in the rapidly reddening sky. The red moon slowly appears in the blood red sky causing dark shadows to dance across the canvases of the tents. The sound of Finnick's joyous shouts and the scraping of stone against metal as Johanna sharpens her axe bounce off the high sides of the valley we are camped in.

Finnick howls with laughter as Katniss turns a poor unsuspecting squirrel into first a chicken, then a beaver and lastly a pig. He continues to shout out various types of animals as he challenges Katniss to turn the poor creature into bigger and more exotic creatures.

"A tiger!" he declares enthusiastically. "I have only ever heard about those ferocious cats in District 2. I have always wanted to see one of the kings of the forest!"

Katniss rolls her eyes and shakes her head.

"I have never seen one either. I have to be able to visualise the animal or the magic will not work. I will probably only turn the poor animal into a stripy tabby cat," she replies.

My lips twist up into a small grin at her words. The image of a stripy house cat is rather amusing. Finnick pouts and bats his eye lashes at Katniss.

"Please your Royal Highness. I will be forever in your debt if you grant me this small request," he asks.

Katniss looks back at him with a disbelieving look before eventually bowing her head and conceding.

"Fine. I will try but there is no guarantee that it will work," she says.

Finnick grins triumphantly as he sits giddily on his perch as he waits for Katniss to perform the spell. She closes her eyes to compose herself and try and visualise an animal she has only ever read about in books. She raises her hands in preparation and I can almost sense the moment that she lets the magic flow through her body. A soft glow seems to appear and be emitted from her skin.

With a flick of her wrist her surge of power rushes out of her fingertips and hits the poor squirrel square in the chest.

Almost instantly the squirrel morphs into a beast that must be about 50 times its original size. Its fur turns a rusty orange and zig zag black stripes appear. Its whiskers must be the length of a long sword and it towers above us.

Finnick's eyes widen in surprise at the sheer size of creature Katniss has managed to create. Somehow I know this is not the average size of a tiger.

The squirrel/tiger stares down at us with terrified golden eyes. I suspect the sudden changes in its appearance have rattled it and even though it could probably crush us with one of its enormous white paws it cowers away from us. I catch sight of Katniss and grin at her. She bites her bottom lip to stifle a laugh. It is amusing seeing something so big and powerful looking scared.

Johanna drops her axe and it clatters against the ground. The creature's eyes widen in fear and panic at the sound and it turns to bound off down the edge of the valley.

Once it has gone Katniss and I burst into laughter and Finnick looks on with awed surprise.

"Well if we hear stories about gigantic cats terrorising the forest we know who to blame," I say.

Katniss grins at me as she takes a seat next to me.

"I think that was better than a tiger. Thank you, your Grace. You are too kind," Finnick says bending down on one knee and making a show of kissing Katniss's knuckles.

He may only be play acting but I cast him a hard look as he releases her hand and I pull Katniss close into my side. Finnick sees my look and responds with a cheeky wink. Katniss snuggles into my chest.

"If you are going to use magic at least use it for something useful. I for one would like you to transform these stupid rocks into lumps of gold," Johanna says as she kicks a few loose stones on the ground.

"You know that to change something into gold means taking it from someone else. We are not thieves Johanna," I gently remind her.

Johanna shrugs her shoulders as she goes to pick up her axe.

"Anyone with that type of gold is probably too rich to even notice," she replies as she carefully places her axe away in Maisy's cart.

"You cannot know that," Katniss replies.

Johanna doesn't say anything more on the subject as she goes to sit down. Finnick gets up to start serving the meagre portions of squirrel meat and root vegetables we have left. After nearly 2 months of travelling our stocks are running low.

We have been able to move about with more ease since we destroyed the tracker jacker nest 2 weeks previously. It is less easy for the Tribute witches to detect us and as a result we have been able to move less frequently and spend a few days at a time at each campsite. I know it has been a relief to my aching feet to stay put in one place for small amounts of time and it has allowed Katniss and I to spend more time together alone.

On our off days we set off to explore the wildlife around us and savour its delights. Even though she is the heir to the throne she tells me that she barely knows the District she is destined to rule and she has thoroughly enjoyed becoming acquainted with it.

It has also allowed her more time to practise her magic. She has mastered the fine arts of the craft remarkably easily. I have seen her resurrect whole dying meadows and create shielding spells so strong that not even Finnick and Johanna can find us again if they wander outside its parameters. While the other witches' power is dwindling Katniss's only seems to get stronger.

The stunt with the giant squirrel tiger is just another example of how strong her magic is. Although the creature was clearly the wrong size it closely resembled the few pictures I have glimpsed of the animal. There are not many witches that could cast a spell with such accuracy. These past couple of weeks I have often found myself wondering just how great her magic could be.

Katniss gratefully takes a bowl of squirrel stew off Finnick and shifts slightly so she can eat more easily. I watch her with a silly smile as she greedily slurps down the bowl's contents. She has definitely come a long way from the prim and proper little princess she was when she first arrived.

* * *

Later that night the question of the true strength of her magic still plagues me. At dinner she amused us all with the tricks she could play with the fire, making it jump and dance and transform. The display was so mesmerising it even made my fear of fire disappear and have me transfixed.

The question rattles round my head as we crawl into her small tent together. Her confidence in using magic has grown dramatically and I can't help but wonder how she will cope once it disappears next week. I do not want the Tribute witches to have their power but I can't help but wonder what good magic could do in the hands of someone like Katniss.

She crawls close to me and drapes her arms and legs across my torso and gently nuzzles her nose into my neck. She lets out a contented sigh as my arms instinctively wrap around her.

We say nothing for a moment as we reflect on the events of the day. Eventually I cannot keep my thoughts to myself and I bring up the ever growing strength of her magic.

"Your magic has grown strong these past couple of weeks. I have met many witches over the years but I have never seen some of the things you have been able to do," I say.

"My magic is stronger when I am around you. I do not have to concentrate. It feels like a natural extension of my body whenever you are around," she replies as she wriggles closer to me.

I smile and kiss the top of her head. I know a witch's magic is strongly linked to her emotions. It makes me happy to know how I affect her in this way. It reminds me the strength of her feelings for me.

"Will you miss it? Once the red moon passes?" I ask.

She turns to look up at me. She pauses to contemplate my question before she answers.

"No. It is a reminder of how much my mother lied to me. A reminder why I have been running for my life these past couple of months. I use it now as a distraction, some fun while we are on this journey. I will be glad to be rid of it and the burden it gives," she replies.

"Burden?" I question.

"It is a lot of responsibility to carry this much power. My father always told me too much power is a dangerous thing. The Tribute witches have proven that," she says.

I nod my head in understanding. The Tribute witches have become so power hungry that their whole kind is going to have to sacrifice their powers for the sake of the lives of the common people.

I don't press Katniss any further on the subject. I truly believe she would have resisted the power battles the magic would have given her and put it to great use. I believe she could have been truly spectacular. But there is no use pondering this. Not when it will all disappear in a week.

* * *

The next morning we rise early to set off for a nearby village. After yesterday's small portions of food it is becoming vital that we stop in a village to replenish some of our supplies. We have avoided the town and villages so far on our journey in the fear of Katniss being recognised by one of the townspeople. It would be disastrous to evade the Tribute witches only to be discovered by mere mortals. But needs are must and Katniss is eager to be around civilisation again. For a person accustomed to always being surrounded by people it must have been hard for her to be around such limited company for the past 2 months.

We enter the small village of Reaping just after noon and drag Maisy through the muddy streets and to the small farmers' market. Poverty is prevalent in the village and we pass countless small wooden houses with shutters hanging off their hinges and gaping holes in the roof. Small children covered in grime play in the gutters, scavenging for food and old women stare at us with hollow and downtrodden eyes.

Everything about the village is grey. Grey buildings, grey weather and grey people. This is a place where people wait to die.

The grotty conditions shock Katniss. Even though we have been on the move the past few weeks we have been living in better conditions than this. This village is a long way from the silk sheets and scented baths she is used to at the palace. The stench of the village is so bad, with my heightened senses, I have been able to smell it from 4 miles out. Katniss scrunches up her nose in disgust as she takes in the foul smell of human excrements and rotting food.

The farmers' market is pitiful. A few stunted carrots and turnips and course flour, but it is better than nothing. We exchange it all for a few bronze coins and the market seller looks like it is the most money he has ever seen in his lifetime. Katniss hangs back, partly to prevent anyone from recognising her and partly to distance herself from this way of living.

As we load the cart with our supplies she leans in to whisper to me.

"I did not think this type of poverty existed. I know District 12 is the poorest of the Districts but I did not know people lived like this. I cannot believe my father would let it happen," she says.

I turn to look at her sadly.

"Poverty like this is hard to eradicate. Your father has introduced many laws over the years to help try and diminish the problem but it will take years before villages like this feel their effect," I reply.

Katniss frowns at this. Part of me wonders how much of her father's politics she is aware of. I suspect she has been largely kept in the dark about it. Being young and female does not aid your cause in a political landscape.

However her frown soon disappears and her eyes widen a little in surprise as she catches sight of something over my shoulder. Slowly she walks past me and towards the object that has piqued her interest. My eyes follow her line of sight until I catch sight of a large poster hanging from a wooden post. My feet begin to move at their own accord as I am drawn to the image on the torn parchment.

If I had not witnessed what she looked like on that first day we took her I would not have recognised her. The girl in this picture is completely different from the one I share a tent with every night.

I recognise it as the portrait that was unveiled on her sixteenth birthday. Her glossy hair is elaborately pinned up and peppered with primrose flowers. Her skin is polished and shiny. Her face round and lips plump. The top of a fancy green velvet dress can just be made out at the bottom of the picture.

I turn to look at the girl beside me, the same girl who is in this picture, but my brain can't comprehend that they are the same person.

Her hair is no longer as shiny and is now woven into a practical braid that reaches down her back. Tendrils of hairs fly loose from it in a wild fashion. Some of the roundness in her face has been lost due to lack of food. Her face is free from paint and instead covered in a thin layer of filth. The clothes she wears are more suited for a man and haven't been washed in weeks. Her once pointed nails have all broken off and are caked with mud. The dirt sticks to the crevices of her skin and the tan on her skin is more prevalent.

We need not have worried about the townspeople recognising her. She has morphed into an entirely new person. Her Royal Highness Princess Katniss of District 12 is very different from the Katniss Everdeen we have been travelling with.

Katniss reaches out to touch the picture, disbelieving that it could be her. The 5000 gold coin reward for her safe return is displayed in large numbers below. Until now I had not grasped that there were other people trying just as desperately to find her.

She studies her picture for a few moments before she speaks.

"I have not thought about home in so long," she states wistfully.

My heart drops. The tone of her voice hints at a longing for that home. A home without me in it.

I have forbidden myself to think about what will happen after the red moon passes. A small part of me hopes that when it is over she will choose to stay with me. She seems so different now that I cannot imagine her living back in the palace. But the fleeting mention of her home is enough to make my heart clench and ache with longing. I know I have no place in her life if she goes back. She has a 5000 gold coin reward for her safe return. I doubt anyone aside from Finnick and Johanna would notice it I went missing.

I am nothing compared to her. A Phantom Hunter that has no money, prospects or power. I do not deserve her.

"I have been so consumed about running that I have forgotten about home. I have forgotten the small things. The exact colour of the roses in the garden at this time of year. The sound of Effie's shoes clacking against the floor. The tone of my father's laugh," she adds.

The sad tone of how she states the last point makes me aware that she feels particularly guilty about the last one. We have not spoken much about her life in the palace but she has always spoken fondly of her father. It is clear that she admires him a great deal. I move to place a comforting arm around her waist. She leans her head against my shoulder as she continues to stare at her reward poster.

"He is really ill. I have no idea of how he is faring, if he is even still alive," she says.

I can see the tears beginning to brim in the corners of her eyes. I give her waist a gentle squeeze.

"We would have heard if the worst had happened. And he will have the best healers available to him. He has mostly likely made a full recovery," I say trying to soothe her.

Katniss shakes her head fiercely.

"He is not going to get any better. It is in his lungs. They never recovered from the infection he got last winter. That is why he has brought Prince Gale to the District. They are preparing for me to take over and I cannot do it without a king by my side," she says, a single tear dropping down the side of her cheek.

My whole body tenses at her words. I had almost forgotten about the tall and handsome Prince that had been in her carriage that day. When she had first arrived she had talked about becoming betrothed to him but he had quickly faded from conversation. A jealous surge I did not know I had courses through me at the thought of another man loving her the way I do.

The lack of mention of his name and her total inexperience when we first became intimate tells me she does not feel strongly for him, that I have her love, but for how long? If she is correct about her father she could be ruling the District in a year's time. What will I do then?

I press a kiss into the side of her head as she lets her tears fall silently. For once I do not have the words.

Johanna and Finnick come up behind us to study the poster. Johanna furrows her eyebrows when she sees the words scrawled on the bottom.

"Shit!" she exclaims. "It looks like someone in the carriage caught a look of us. It says to look out for 3 men that are suspected of capturing the princess."

I drop my eyes to look at the words at the bottom. The shock of Katniss's royal image had meant I had missed it but Johanna is correct. Someone must have spotted us capturing Katniss from the carriage that day as there is a bounty for our heads. Thankfully they do not have detailed descriptions, but 3 people, 1 with bronze hair and another with blond could easily be linked to us.

"We need to get out of here," I state. "We can't run the risk of getting spotted. We are too close to the end to fail now."

The rest of the group nod in agreement and we head back to Maisy and the cart. Finnick finishes loading the last of our supplies onto the cart as we prepare to leave. However as we are about to set off a raggedy man bumps into Katniss. She stumbles a little but manages to steady herself against the cart.

"Watch it wench!" the man shouts. "You could have knocked me over!"

Katniss turns to face the man with anger in her eyes. It was his fault that they crashed together.

The man looks to be middle aged with torn clothes and a strange looking beard. His has cruel black eyes and greasy black hair. Immediately I take a step closer to Katniss.

"You were the one who knocked into me!" Katniss exclaims. "You should be the one apologising."

The man sneers and takes a step closer. Instinctively I take another step towards Katniss. I do not like how this man is looking at her; like she is common whore.

He opens his mouth to say something but then snaps it shut as he peers closely at Katniss. His nose is inches from her face and his rotting breath fans across her face. To her credit Katniss does not flinch and just scowls at the man.

Suddenly the man's face breaks into an evil smile.

"I thought there was something familiar about you darling," he says as he takes a step back. "It is your picture that has been hanging in every town square. Isn't that right Princess Katniss?"

Finnick, Johanna and I exchange worried glances. This is exactly what we have tried to avoid. I can see Katniss struggle to conceal her own surprise and panic at the man recognising her. He now stands back with his arms crossed across his chest and a satisfied smirk.

"I could do with 5000 gold coin," he says with his beady eyes locked on Katniss.

My thoughts turn about frantically in my brain. I need to think of something quick to get us away from him. I step in front of Katniss to try and avert the situation.

"You are greatly mistaken my sir," I begin. "I understand that my wife closely resembles the missing princess but the truth is she made herself look this way."

The man in front of me knots his eyebrows in confusion. Sensing I have grabbed his attention I carry on.

"You see my wife strongly admires the young princess and wishes to resemble her. She has used her own magic to transform her features to closely match Princess Katniss. It's silly I know. My wife was beautiful as she was but she could not be persuaded," I say.

Finally understanding my plan Katniss steps forward and slips her arm around mine. She smiles sweetly and nods her head in conformation. This action confuses the man more and the frown lines grow deeper in his forehead.

"Magic eh? Prove it," the man challenges.

I turn and nod my head at Katniss. She catches my meaning and nods her head in understanding before turning to the man and closing her eyes to concentrate. In no time at all she has turned her natural brown locks into a shade of blonde that closely resembles my own. When she opens her eyes again the grey has turned into a deep indigo.

The man's eyes widen in surprise. He clearly did not think we were telling the truth.

"This proves nothing. For all I know you are the princess and are using magic to deceive me," he says clearly flustered.

"Are you accusing your future queen of witchcraft? I do not think the palace would be too happy to hear that," I state.

Fear appears in the man's black eyes. He knows if he ever accused such a thing he could be tried for treason. Sensing victory I make my final point.

"And I saw you steal the ale from that stall over there. I am sure the peacekeepers would be delighted for you to spend some time in the stocks," I say stepping closer.

The man visibly gulps and flits his eyes over to the old woman that stocks the ale. He turns back to look at me and then at Katniss behind my shoulder before speaking again.

"I must have been mistaken. My eyesight is not what it used to be," he replies.

"I'm glad we understand each other," I say with a satisfied grin.

The man nods his head in parting and scuttles off away from the farmers' market.

I hear Katniss let out a sigh of relief from behind me and I immediately turn round to gather her in my arms. Now the man is gone I am fully aware of the pounding in my chest. The Tributes witches are not the only dangers in these woods.

"It was lucky you saw him stealing the ale. I don't think he would have left so easily if you had not threatened him," Finnick says as he comes round to pat me on the shoulder.

"I didn't but smelt it on his breath. He looked a bit shifty so I took a gamble. Looks like it paid off," I reply.

Finnick lets out a small laugh and shakes his head.

"You are one lucky bastard," he replies as he slaps me on the back.

I loosen my grip on Katniss slightly and Johanna tells us to move out. Katniss still has blonde hair and blue eyes but I tell her to keep it until we are out of the village. We can have no more encounters like that.

We step our way through the mud and shit as we manoeuvre our way back to the road that leads us out of the village. I want to away from this place as soon as possible.

However we are halted again by a whooshing, followed by a cracking sound and then a scream. I immediately recognise the sound. The sound is nothing new to me. I have heard it countless times in my own village. I do not want to dwell on the poor soul that is having the pain inflicted on them.

But it does surprise Katniss and she whirls her head round in the direction of the sound. I have to duck out the way as her braid almost whips me in the face.

"What is that?" she asks.

Johanna huffs and stops in her tracks.

"Do they not have whippings in the palace?" Johanna sighs.

Katniss's eyes widen in shock at Johanna's words.

"I was not allowed to attend them. It was considered too barbaric for woman to attend," she mumbles.

Johanna rolls her eyes and shakes her head.

"How are you ever going to rule if they keep you locked away?" Johanna replies.

I know Johanna's comment will have hurt Katniss. She does not like to be portrayed as an innocent little girl anymore so I fire an angry glare in Johanna's direction.

Katniss is still staring in the direction of the whipping sound. The sound of rope on flesh is repeated again and again. I can already smell the blood.

Suddenly Katniss takes off towards the sound. Curiosity over an act she has been forbidden to see before or a sense of injustice I don't know. Johanna lets out an exasperated sigh before all three of us chase after her.

We catch up with her in the village square and at the edge of a circle of people crowded round to watch the punishment being carried out. Katniss pushes her way to the front to get a better look and her eyes widen in horror when she catches sight of a young boy, no more than twelve, tethered to the whipping post and with angry red welts flared up on his back.

A cold looking peacekeeper with short grey hair and emotionless blue eyes raises the whip again ready to inflict the next blow. My heart breaks a little at the sight. The boy is so young. It is unlikely he deserves the punishment he is getting. It is more than likely that he will not survive the ordeal but I have seen enough cruel peacekeepers and unfair injustices to know there is nothing I can do. It is part of life.

Katniss does not see it as so. A life spent getting everything she has ever wanted has made her naïve about many of the going ons in the towns and villages. She just sees a poor boy that is being inflicted a too harsh a punishment.

As a result she surges forward and puts herself between the boy and the cruel peacekeeper. The peacekeeper looks furious at the interruption but does lower his whip so he can growl at Katniss to step aside.

But stubborn Katniss. My beautifully stubborn Katniss does not do what he says and stands her ground.

"What is this boy's crime?" she demands.

The whole square has gone silent. No one stands up to a peacekeeper like this. I thank the stars that Katniss still has blonde hair. I am sure someone else would recognise her if she didn't.

"He stole a turkey off Mr Cray's land. The punishment is fitting for the crime," the peacekeeper spits.

"The punishment is 5 lashes. From the welts on his back I can assume it is safe to say he has had more than that," Katniss replies. Her eyes hold a fierce determination. She will not let this boy be hurt anymore.

"How dare you tell me how to do my job? You are a mere little whore who doesn't even have the decency to dress like a woman!" he yells. "Step aside or I will strike you too."

Katniss does not move.

"So you will strike a pregnant woman? I do not think that would go down well with the village people," Katniss says calmly.

There is a murmuring through the crowd. Mutterings of how cruel it would be if the peacekeeper carries out his threat. I smile at Katniss's comment. It is exactly the type of thing I would have said to get out of this situation. Part of me must be rubbing off on her. If the peacekeeper strikes her there will be a riot in the village square.

I take this as my cue to step forward and assist her. I stride towards her and wrap an arm around her waist, placing a hand on her stomach. I make sure that my hunting knife is on display as I stand in front of the peacekeeper with as much determination as Katniss.

"I hope you do not plan on hurting my wife," I state. "That would be rather unfortunate for you."

The man senses my threat. I may be a good few inches shorter than him but he can tell I am strong. And he does not like the look of my knife. He does not want to take his chances against me. His chest deflates a little and he steps back.

"Take the boy away," he snaps. "The show is over. Get back to your rotting homes!"

The crowd doesn't move for a moment, too stunned by what it has just seen. It is unlikely that they have ever seen someone stand up to a member of authority that way before.

However the man barks at them again and the crowd scatters. 2 young males approach the boy and go about untying him and taking him back to his family.

Katniss turns to me with a triumphant smile, giving my hand a little squeeze before she goes over the help the young men with the boy.

She kneels down in front of the boy and strokes the muddy curls off his face. He is barely conscious but he manages to mutter a thank you and Katniss smiles at him sweetly telling him it is alright and that she will make sure he is safe.

She insists on escorting him back to his family home, which turns out to be little more than a crumbling shack with no windows, a straw roof and 8 inhabitants. It is no wonder the boy tried to steal a turkey. The sunken eyes and hollow stomachs of his 5 younger siblings is enough to make me want to steal for them.

Katniss fusses over the boy making sure he is as comfortable as he can be and slipping his mother some extra coins we had. The boy's mother grips Katniss's hand gratefully and blesses her for saving her son. Katniss smiles at her sadly and says she was only doing what she thought was right.

As I watch Katniss tend to the boy I realise what a great queen she will be. She risked her life today for a boy she did not know all because she thought he was being served an injustice. She stood up for him when no one else would. She listens to his mother and comforts her.

She will be a brave, loyal and just queen. A queen who puts her people first.

With a sinking feeling I realise what this all means. I may have harboured some misguided hope that she will stay with me after the red moon passes but I realise in this moment that would be selfish. I love her and want to never be parted from her but there are people who need her more.

The people of this District need her. They need her to rule fairly and help them prosper. Her father needs her to carry on the good work he has already started.

Her father is dying. Her duties as queen are fast approaching. Even if she did choose to stay with me I could not let her. Not when she can do so much good for this District.

I realise that a in a week's time I will have to let her go and I will have to say goodbye.

* * *

**A/N: Things are going to get hard for our couple in the next few chapters. Both are going to have to come to terms with the responsibilities in their lives and the Tribute witches will be making the presence known again. Hope you all continue to enjoy their journey.**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 11

_Katniss_

The late afternoon sun filters through the gaps in the trees bathing small patches of the ground with light. With no breeze there is a stillness around that would be unnerving if I was not so focused on the task at hand. I creep up behind a large boulder as I keep my eye on the small flock of pheasants that graze in the clearing. Johanna silently sidles up beside me and picks up a small rock. She turns it round in her hand as she gives me a nod that signals for me to prepare.

I lick my lips in anticipation. The pheasants look plump and juicy. I pray my rumbling stomach does not alert them to our presence. I knock my arrow and draw it back slightly in preparation for our assault. I nod my head to confirm I am ready.

Johanna catches sight of my signal and hurls the rock towards the group of unsuspecting birds. The rock lands with a clatter and the birds scatter at the unexpected noise. Without hesitance I pull my bow back and quickly fire an arrow at one of the fleeing birds. My arrow flies serenely through the air and pierces my intended target straight through the eye. The bird tumbles to the ground in a blur of feathers and I turn round to look at Johanna with a triumphant grin. Johanna smiles back at me. She too has managed to snag a bird. We wordlessly get up to collect our spoils.

As I bend down to collect my bird I cannot help but marvel at the accuracy of my shot. The arrow has hit the bird right in the centre of the eye and I know the meat will not be ruined as a result. There is something extremely satisfying about catching your own dinner. A pride at being able to feed yourself and survive.

I am surprised just how much I enjoy archery. At first it was just a skill to help protect myself but I find the silence and concentration required rather soothing. And it helps that I have become rather good at it. Peeta has even whispered that he thinks I am the best shot out of us all now. It just seems a much more useful skill than the tapestry weaving Effie insists I must master.

I walk back to Johanna and cannot help but smile when I see she hit the bird in the chest. Everyone will be fighting over my meat tonight.

Johanna slumps down on the hard ground as she dumps the bird beside her and pulls off her boot.

"I swear a bloody nest of ants have invaded my shoe. Something has been nipping my foot for the last 2 miles!" she declares as she tips her boot upside down and, just as she predicted, a small cluster of little red ants tumble to the ground. Her foot is blotchy and red and the mere sight of it makes me want to itch.

Johanna curses as she squashes the ants with the heel of her boot and scratches furiously at her skin.

"Scratching will only make it worse," I point out.

Johanna just throws me a venomous look in return and I decide the best course of action is to just stay silent and let her rant all she wants.

"I can't wait for a proper bath. 2 months of travelling has left dirt and dead beasties in places I would rather not. Wouldn't surprise me if something has crawled up and left a nest of eggs in my fanny," she says.

I try to hide my blush at her crude remark. Even after 2 months I am still not used to all the things that come out of her mouth. However I am unsuccessful at hiding my embarrassment and she smirks at me.

"Really Princess? You still blush when I say the word fanny? Even after all the things Peeta has being doing to yours this past month?" she says.

"I believe some things should be kept private," I say with a scowl.

Johanna barks out a laugh as she goes to put her boot back on.

"You need to learn to keep it quiet if you want to keep it private. I swear I go to sleep with your moans of "Oh Peeta!" ringing in my ears!" Johanna replies.

I smack her over the head with my dead pheasant.

"Ow! That hurt!" she replies rubbing the spot I just hit. "Though I think I just got a preview of what gets Peeta so excited in there. Tell me have you introduced whip play?"

I scowl at her and hit her over the head again. I do not like her talking about Peeta and I like that and the image of the angry red welts on the 12 year old boy's bare back is enough to make me never want to use whips in that way.

Johanna chuckles again as she goes to gather her belongings.

"I'll miss making you blush," she says. "But boy I cannot wait for a proper mattress again. One more day and I'll be back in the cottage eating Peeta's bread and annoying old Abernathy's geese."

I keep quiet at her words. Tomorrow evening the red moon will disappear from the sky and I will be free from the Tribute witches' pursuit. We have heard rumours of the King's Guards settling in a nearby village as their hunt for me continues. Tomorrow I will be free to meet them. I will be free to return to the palace. Free to return to my mother and father.

I try not to contemplate why this makes me feel so hollow.

Instead I focus on Johanna's words about a cottage. I have heard no mention of such a place even though I have been travelling with them for 2 months now. But it sounds like they have a place to go home too. I have been so caught up in where I am going to be after this whole ordeal that I have not contemplated that they might have a home to go too as well.

"You have a cottage?" I ask curious.

Johanna bobs her head.

"It was my parents until they died of polio 8 years back. The place has been mine ever since. Finnick, Peeta and I all live there whenever we are not travelling. It's not much but it has a roof, comfortable beds, an oven for Peeta and plenty of wood for me to chop. It's home," she states.

I nod my head in understanding. I do not know where my home is anymore. The palace seems so lavish and grand after what I have experienced here. It suddenly seems impossibly big and impersonal.

"So you have just left it for 2 months? How can you be sure no one has ransacked it?" I ask.

"We left old man Abernathy in charge of it. He used to be a Phantom Hunter until the drink diluted his senses. He looks after it while we are gone in a return for a place to raise his geese. Though with Haymitch you always run the risk of him burning it down himself," Johanna replies.

I give her a small smile and nod my head.

"Do you spend much time there?" I ask.

"Most of the year. Most of our missions don't require us to leave for more than a week. You were a special case," she says nudging my shoulder.

"But what about money? How do get enough to survive?"

"Peeta bakes, Finnick fishes, I chop firewood. We trade what we need too. Plus Haymitch is stinking rich. He lends us money whenever we need it," Johanna says. "He'll be going crazy with us being away so long. No one to moan at."

I laugh again. Part of me wants to meet this Haymitch. He sounds a bit of an eccentric.

But there is something about Johanna's words that bother me. In all my time with Peeta he has not once mentioned his home or this old man that is obviously dear to them all. I thought we were past the secret keeping from each other.

"Peeta has never mentioned it. There is so much I do not know about him" I mumble with my head hung low.

I hear Johanna let out an exasperated sigh from beside me as we continue to walk back to camp.

"We make a rule of not talking about home whenever we are away. It's harder if you do. If you asked he would have told you," Johanna replies.

I blush now. She is right. He would have told me if I had asked. But I didn't. I must be incredibly self-centred to not ask about his home.

"Trust me. You know more about him than probably even Finnick and I. He won't even tell us the whole story about his family. You have got him to open up and trust more in 2 months than anyone has in the last 5 years. You don't understand the effect you have on him. You are good for him," she says.

Her words surprise me a little bit. I knew she has warmed to me slightly since I managed to get us all away from that first tracker jacker attack and she is what I imagine a big sister would be like; always trying to embarrass me and give me unhelpful advice. But the sincerity in her words touches me. She and Finnick are the only family Peeta has left and I am pleased that I have her seal of approval.

Not that it will be needed much longer.

My heart aches as I think about what will happen after tomorrow.

"You'll be sorely missed," Johanna adds as we approach the outside of our camp. Her eyes are sincere and filled with sorrow.

I understand what she is saying. That she will miss seeing Peeta so happy. She will miss whatever effect she says I have over him.

I stop and look at her my heart clenching in agony at the thought. I do not know how I am going to leave.

Johanna smiles at my sympathetically before turning and entering to greet Finnick.

"Finnick! What is the first thing you are going to do after we get back home?" Johann asks as she presents her bird for him to prepare.

Finnick pauses for a moment and cocks his head to the side and taps his chin thoughtfully as he ponders the question seriously.

"Eat some cheese. It has been too long since I have had some cheese. I might even persuade Peeta to make some of that cheesy bread that is so delicious," Finnick says dreamily.

I smile as I too enter the campsite and hand him my bird. Skinny squirrels, a handful of berries and course flour have not exactly allowed for culinary masterpieces.

"What about you Katniss? What are you going to do first when you get home? Scented bath? Foot massage? Have a servant fan you with palm leaves?" Finnick asks.

I force myself to answer even though the thought is something that pains me.

"Eat chocolate cake. I have been dreaming about the gooey sponge and melted chocolate goodness," I reply trying to keep it light.

"I have heard about the wonders of chocolate. Please tell me what it tastes like?" Finnick asks dreamily.

I smile at his request. Chocolate is a rare delicacy in District 12. Only the richest dukes and duchesses can afford it.

I indulge Finnick's request and describe chocolate in all its sweet glory. I have Finnick drooling by the end and begging me to magic some for him to try.

I shake my head and smile at his child like demands. I will miss Finnick when I have to leave. He was the first person that I felt at ease with when I was here. I will miss his childlike behaviour and exuberant story telling.

While I am talking to Finnick I realise that Peeta is nowhere nearby. I scrunch my eyebrows in confusion. He has never separated from me for too long this past week and I had expected to see him when I got back.

"Where's Peeta?" I ask scanning the surroundings to check I have not missed him.

"He went for a walk. Probably off to watch the sunset. He normally does that when he is trying to clear his head," Finnick replies.

Finnick gives me a sad look. He does not have to voice that it is thoughts of me leaving that Peeta needs to clear his head of. Finnick understands more than anyone about loving someone you cannot have. He is trapped in Annie's spell even though she will never be able to return his level of commitment.

I do not care if Peeta has gone to try and clear his thoughts about me. I only have limited time with him left. In this moment I am going to be selfish and seek him out.

"I think I will go and find him," I say.

Both Johanna and Finnick look at me sadly but nod their heads in understanding. I turn to leave in search of the boy I do not want to let go.

* * *

I find him sitting at the top of a small grassy mound at the edge of the forest. He sits pensively staring out over the marshy ground below. The sun has just begun to set filling the sky with muted oranges and pinks. The falling sun catches the top of Peeta's curls making them shine like gold. The whole sight is so peaceful and serene.

I silently make my way over and sit down next to him. He eyes briefly flit over to me and he smiles in greeting before going back to stare at the sunset.

"It is a beautiful sunset," I say looking out towards it.

"It's my favourite time of the day. The sky seems to light up and the oranges and the reds seem to dance together," he says with a wistful smile.

I turn to look at his side profile.

"I prefer sunrises. The hope of new beginnings and not the sign of an ending," I reply.

Peeta closes his eyes and take a deep breath. He nods his head but still does not turn to look at me. He understands the implications of my words.

"Whatever happens tomorrow this is the last night I get to spend with you. I will have to say goodbye," I say.

He turns to look at me now and I can see the pain in his blue eyes.

This is the first time either of us has brought up my leaving. Neither of us has spoken about it because of the fear of the pain it will bring up. But we cannot ignore it any longer. Tomorrow the danger will be over. Tomorrow I will have to go back.

"The District needs you. Everything I have witnessed these past 2 months shows me you are going to be a great queen. You are loyal and brave and compassionate. The District is going to prosper because of you. Your place is in the palace," he stresses.

I do not argue with him. My duty is to go back to the palace and rule the District my family has spent years trying to maintain. But going back means I cannot have Peeta.

"I wish I could take you with me," I say softly.

I do not know how I can leave him tomorrow. I do not know how I am going to cope without seeing him smile every day. Without waking up in his arms every morning. Without living his adventures with him.

He looks at me with sad blue eyes and smile.

"I'm just a poor orphan baker boy. I am not worthy enough for your love," he says.

I get cross now. I furrow my eyebrows and lean towards him.

"You underestimate your worth. All those qualities you listed about me, I am only those things because of you. You have made me more courageous, determined and selfless. And you are so brave and kind and loyal. You are the best man I have ever met," I reply.

"I am still not a prince," he replies solemnly.

"It does not make me love you any less," I state.

Peeta smiles at me gratefully and leans forward to rest his forehead against mine. His hand rises to cup my cheek and he inhales deeply as if he is desperately trying to memorise my scent.

"I have loved every minute I have spent with you. Even when you were stubborn and ignored everything I said," he says.

I smile as I remember how much we argued those first few weeks. He got under my skin so quickly.

"I don't know how I am going to live without you," he adds.

I close my eyes and cover his hand with my own. I do not know how I am going to live without him either. But I do not regret falling for him. Even though it is going to hurt me the joy I have experienced these past 6 weeks has made it all worthwhile.

I lean forward to meet his lips with a kiss. I kiss him softly at first, waiting for him to respond. He seems lost in the pain of losing me. But I am not gone yet. I want him to be here with me.

After a few kisses he responds and he grips my head tightly in his hands. His kisses are different tonight, probably because he knows this is the last night he will have, and I gladly accept his needy kisses and possessive touches.

My arms wrap around his back and pull him close to me. I lower us back to lay against the ground desperate to feel his strong weight bearing down on top of me.

Our hands are everywhere, tracing every contour of each other's bodies. I gasp as heishand sweeps across my breast causing my nipple to pebble against the fabric of my waistcoat. This causes a jolt of pleasure to reach down to my core. Peeta lavishes the spot just below my ear and I realise exactly what I want in this moment. I have wanted it for a while now but he has always been so careful with me. But I have to have it tonight. I cannot leave him without knowing how it feels.

I reach down between us to cup him over his breeches. He groans and lightly bites down on my neck as I begin to stroke him. His lips leave my skin as his head falls forward to rest on my shoulder. He curses as I continue to pleasure him.

I want him to understand exactly what I want so with my other hand I pull him up for a deep kiss. He senses there is something different in this kiss and when he pulls back his suspicions are confirmed when he sees the look of love and lust in my eyes.

He moves off me slightly as he realises exactly what I want.

"We cannot do this Katniss. This isn't how it should happen for you. It should happen on your wedding night on silk sheets and with a handsome prince," he says trying to distance himself from me.

Goose flesh appears along my arms at his sudden loss of heat. I furrow my eyebrows at him and sit up to look at him.

"And with a man I do not love? Who only married me for political gain?" I state angrily.

I need to be with him tonight. I want to feel that connection. I want to make him see that this is something I will not regret.

I reach a hand out to gently cup his cheek.

"I love you. You are the only person I want to experience this with. You are the only person I trust to share this with," I say softly.

His eyes search mine as he tries to decide if I am speaking honestly. I can see the conflicted emotions wash across his face. Part of him wants this as badly as I do but another part is terrified of taking away the last of my innocence.

But he cannot deny me anything I ask for long and after what seems like hours he nods his head in agreement and reaches across to kiss my softly.

He wraps me in his arms gently and slowly lowers me to the ground. The intensity of our earlier kisses are gone but there is something about these soft kisses and gentle caresses that have my body humming with pleasure.

Peeta takes his time. He kisses every inch of my exposed skin but I grown impatient and move my hands down to unlace my waistcoat. However Peeta's hands stop me and I look up at him in confusion.

"Let me," he says softly.

I nod my head gently and watch him as he unlaces me and pushes the jacket off my shoulders. His hands then move down to the hem of my tunic and he toys with the fabric there. My heart begins to beat faster at the thought of him removing it completely. Although we have been intimate for the past 4 weeks we have never seen each other completely bare. It makes me excited and nervous all at the same time.

Peeta continues to play with the bottom of my shirt before removing his hands and discarding his own tunic. I catch a brief glimpse of his bare chest and the light blonde hairs that are scattered across his broad frame before he leans down to kiss me deeply again. It is in this moment that he pushes my tunic up, first exposing my stomach and then higher until my breasts are exposed to the warm summer air. His hands slide up to cup me in his rough hands. His thumb reaches up to circle my dusty nipple and it turns into a harden peak. I push my head back against the ground as the first wave of pleasure courses through my body.

Peeta smiles at my reaction before leaning down and taking the nipple in his mouth. I let out a loud moan as he plays with it in between his lips. My fingers thread themselves through his blonde locks to hold him in place as he suckles and twirls the small bud in his mouth. My mind goes blank as all it can think about his Peeta's tongue and what it is doing to my body.

Somehow Peeta manages to completely remove my tunic leaving me completely bare up top. He kisses along my jaw as his hand drops down to unlace my breeches and he dips his skilled fingertips into my dripping core.

"I am not going to lie to you. It will probably hurt. I want you soaking and ready for me," he whispers in my ear.

A shiver goes up my spine. His fingers begin to work short hard circles over my clit. I do not think I can be any wetter but I trust Peeta and allow my body to enjoy the tremors of pleasure.

He kisses me soundly as he fingers continue to slide and twirl about my slick folds. My hips begin to roll in time with his ministrations and he slips two thick fingers into me. I gasp out and feel my muscles clench round his fingers. This causes him to swear and I grip on to the tops of his shoulders tightly as I arch my back up. I am positive he will bruise there tomorrow.

Nothing deters him though as he pumps his fingers into me and I can feel the coil in my belly tightening. I am already beginning to sweat in the hot summer air as my moans continue to grow.

Peeta's thumb is now rubbing my clit and I focus on the pressure that is beginning to build there. I use his shoulders for leverage to help me ride his fingers and race towards my climax.

My back snaps back and I let out a yelp of pleasure as my orgasm comes quickly and powerfully.

I am left breathless and trembling as I come down from my high and Peeta places a soft kiss on my lips. He removes his hand from inside of me and sucks off the juices on his finger tips. The sight should repulse me but it has the opposite affect sending a jolt down to my sensitive core.

I watch Peeta stand as he goes to remove his breeches. My eyes are transfixed on his long and hard manhood that hangs down between his legs. I have to clench my legs together to try and subdue the ache that has already returned there.

Peeta smiles at me sweetly as he lies down beside me. A gentle hand brushes up my side and rests just below my breast.

"You are so beautiful," he whispers as he leans his head against mine.

I smile at him sweetly and cup his cheek so I can reach up and kiss him. He opens his mouth readily for me to tangle my tongue with his own. Our tongues dance together languidly while Peeta lets me recover.

The kisses however soon escalate to a needy passion and Peeta rolls me onto my back as he hovers above me. He raises my leg up so he can remove my breeches and the last scrap of fabric separating us. My heart hammers in my chest as I watch him lovingly roll the fabric down my legs and place a soft kiss to the inside of my ankle.

I close my eyes as his hands skim up my legs and gently brush through the dark curls that hide my little nub.

"Look at me Katniss," he demands.

I do as he says and peel my eyes open to look up at him. He stares down at with a look of complete love and adoration. His longing for me is clear. He smiles at me almost shyly as he bends down to kiss me again. I feel him brush against my wet folds for the first time. Even this first brief contact is enough to make me gasp out in pleasure. Peeta silences me with a searing kiss. Slowly he pulls back and he grabs hold of himself to line up with my entrance.

My anticipation levels continue to grow. I know it will hurt but I cannot care in this moment. I just want to be with him. To be joined as one.

He pauses just before he pushes himself into me and gives me a look to check that I am sure. I nod at him to tell him to continue and he takes a deep breath before gently nudging his tip into me.

He pushes into me slowly and I grimace a little at the unfamiliar pinching sensation. Peeta catches the look and looks down at me sympathetically.

"I'm sorry," he says as he bends down to kiss the tip of my nose. "Stop me if it gets too much."

"Keep going," I urge placing my hands on his backside to urge him to go deeper.

He nods his head in agreement and kisses me softly again. He resumes his slow pace of moving into me.

About halfway in he meets resistance and I screw my eyes shut and bite my lip at the pain of him tearing the last of my innocence. He mumbles apologies and he showers me in kisses to try and distract me from the pain.

Eventually our hips are flushed together and he is deep inside me. He is right. It does hurt. My body is just not used to the intrusion but at the same time there is something thrilling about being joined with him in this way. Peeta curses and mutters something that sounds like "so tight". I wrap my arms around him to keep him close.

I am at a loss of what to do from here and hope he will guide me. He waits a moment to allow me to get used to him being inside of me before kissing me sweetly and slowly pulling out of me.

He starts off with slow long thrusts. It is uncomfortable at first but as I get used to the sensation it begins to feel somewhat nice.

He watches my face to see my reaction. Stopping when he sees me grimacing and kissing me when I whimper. But slowly it starts to feel better. As my grimaces lessen Peeta grows bolder and more purposeful. He hitches my leg around his hip taking me deeper. I gasp as he hits a spot inside of me that I did not know existed. This spurs Peeta on and his thrusts pick up.

He hits that spot again and again. I grip onto him tightly as the pain subsides and is replaced by pleasure. I can feel my body responding to his actions. The familiar tingling whenever my emotions become too strong runs throughout my whole body. His hands sweep across my breast, tweaking the nipple and causing me to moan his name for the first time. He suckles on my pulse point causing me to whimper with pleasure.

The pleasure continues to build and grow. The tingling in my body intensifies and I know I will not be able to keep it in when I reach my peak.

Peeta's fingers dip down to brush my clit and my body begins to shake. A few quick hard circles are enough to send me tumbling over the edge while calling out his name.

I cannot keep the surge of power that has been built up and it is all released at once causing a mass of beautiful yellow primroses to push up through the ground and bloom brightly.

Peeta who had been trying hard to hold back follows me seconds later, spilling his seed inside of me.

I smile up at him as he breathes heavily from above me. He smiles at me giddily before bending down to nuzzle my nose with his.

"They are some lovely primroses you magicked up," he says.

"They are for you," I reply with a smile.

Peeta laughs as he drops down to lie beside me. I turn to place my head against his chest. Peeta puts a protective arm around me.

"I love you," he states, placing a kiss on my forehead.

I smile as I place a hand over his rapidly beating heart.

"I love you too," I reply.

We do not say anything else. We cannot make any promises to each other. They would most likely be promises that we could not keep. But we will always have this moment. This memory to look back on with love and happiness.

We do not think about tomorrow or how hard it is going to say goodbye. We just live in the moment that is here and now.

* * *

**A/N: So I thought I would let them have this little moment before I tear them apart. The Tribute witches will be making a return next chapter as we build towards the climax. Hope you enjoy.**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 12

_Peeta_

The last tendrils of the sunlight have disappeared leaving the red moon radiating high in the night sky for the final time. The soft red glow illuminates the naked flesh of the sleeping girl beside me. Her head rests against my chest, an ear over my heart and a protective arm around my waist. My hands play and tangle themselves in the ends of her thick dark hair. We lie surrounded by the fresh yellow primroses Katniss managed to conjure in the midst of our love making. I pick some and begin weaving them into her hair. I know I will forever associate these flowers with her.

My mind has still not recovered from the intensity of being with her in that way. I am not an chaste virgin. I have been with more experienced girls. And yet it felt like I was experiencing it all for the first time. It had been slow and sweet and intimate. The emotional intensity was almost suffocating as I became consumed by her. I did not know where I ended and she began.

I may have had my doubts about experiencing this with her. I know I could be hung for what I have done but I was powerless to deny her. She may leave tomorrow and break my heart in the process but I cannot regret sharing this moment with the woman I love.

I follow her into a peaceful slumber soon after and dream of a small cottage in the woods with 2 dark haired, blue eyed children running about the gardens, chasing butterflies and shrieking as their parents scoop them up in their arms and smother them with kisses.

* * *

I am woken with a start by the sound of a blood curdling scream. Dawn is just threatening to break as the cry echoes around the valley and causes a shiver to go up my spine. Instinctively my arms search for the sleeping girl beside me to check she is safe. We are so close to the end. I cannot lose her now.

My arms tighten round the warm body lying beside me and I let out a sigh of relief that she is still safe. Katniss sits up on her elbows having also been woken by the sound and furrows her eyebrows.

"What was that?" she asks.

I sit up next to her and sweep a hand across her cheek to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. My heart beat quickens as a bad sense of foreboding begins to overwhelm me.

"I am not sure. We should probably get back to camp. Safety in numbers," I reply.

Katniss nods her head before turning round to locate the clothes that I had peeled off her body earlier. I reach for my own clothes as I analyse the exact nature of the cry. It sounded like someone was in terrible pain. A cry like that cannot be good the last morning of the red moon.

We hurry to redress ourselves and get back to the safety of the camp. The primroses have already begun to wilt as the anxiety in Katniss increases. We are just securing the last items of our clothing when another scream is released into the early morning air.

The cry freezes us both in our tracks. The cry is definitely female but there is sharpness in its tone that can only be linked to one person. Katniss and I share a panicked look as the source of the cry is revealed to us.

"Johanna…" Katniss says panicked.

I nod my head in confirmation as I let this news sink in. I have heard Johanna's cry many times on our expeditions these last 5 years but never have I heard her sound so tortured and vulnerable. My mind rattles as it tries to come up with what is causing her to scream like that. It cannot be a coincidence that this is happening today.

Katniss is first to react as she grabs my hand and begins dragging my dazed body back to camp. Johanna is one of the strongest people I know. She wouldn't have let anyone hurt her without a fight. I cannot think about anything else but who might be doing these things to her.

Half way back to camp my brain grasps the reality of the situation and the urgency to get back to camp to discover exactly what is happening. My feet finally pick up speed and pound against the hard ground as I respond to the situation. Katniss stops having to drag me along and we both race through the trees to discover Johanna's fate.

When he hurtle back into camp we find it in complete disarray. The fire has been stamped out and the ashes kicked around the forest ground. Long, jagged tears have been slashed into the sides of the tents and Maisy's lifeless body is sprawled along the ground, a slit in her throat and a pool of blood surrounding her neck. Finnick stands dazed and confused in the middle of the caos as he takes it all in. He raises his trident in a defensive position as he hears us approach but quickly lowers it when he realises who it is.

Katniss's eyes scan the surrounding as she searches for any sign of Johanna.

"What happened here?" she asks still breathing heavily.

Finnick looks at us with sad and confused eyes.

"I am not exactly sure. I woke with a need to pee and wandered off into the forest. The next thing I knew Johanna was screaming and cursing. I rushed back here just in time to catch sight of one of the Tribute witches dashing out of the camp. She just turned and smirked at me before disappearing into the trees," Finnick replies clearly distressed.

I shake my head and close my eyes to help myself think. Why take Johanna? What are they trying to achieve?

"My guess is they found us and planned to ambush us. It was just luck that Katniss and I were not here. Finding only Johanna they must have decided to take her and use her as some sort of bait. Their magic will be weak at this point and they will be becoming desperate," I say after thinking it through.

Both Katniss and Finnick nod their heads in agreement as they continue to scan the surroundings.

This latest move by the witches distresses me. I had expected some desperate attempts but to have Katniss so near them concerns me. And with Johanna captured they outnumber us.

"What do we do?" Katniss asks.

I turn to look at her and the determined look on her face. My heart melts a little at the sight of her so ready to tackle the witches. My pride and admiration for her loyalty towards us and her immense bravery makes me fall even further in love with her.

But I cannot have her come with us. It is too dangerous. I will not put her in harm's way. The witches will expect her to be with one of us. It will confuse them if she does not follow us. And it will be easier for her to use her magic to hide herself if she only has herself to shield.

"Katniss you need to run. Run to the village where the King's Guard is stationed. Use cloaking spells. You just need to stay out of their reach for another 18 hours. Finnick and I can distract the witches until then," I say.

"No," she states firmly. "I am not leaving you. You cannot just send me away after everything we have been through!"

She walks towards me with a fierce determination in her eyes. I should have known she would not have done what I have asked. Her stubbornness has always been her worst trait.

"Please Katniss," I beg reaching out to grip the tops of her arms and hold her tightly. "I cannot have you in the centre of danger."

"I thought we agreed I am no longer a scared little princess. I can defend myself. I cannot just leave you and not know if you made it out alive," she replies.

My heart sinks. Part of me understands how she feels. If she runs I know part of me will be consumed with worry about her. If she comes with us at least I would know where she is and what is happening to her. If she runs I can only hope that she gets to safety.

And I do not want our last goodbye to be rushed in the moment. I don't want it to be a quick farewell in the midst of a crisis.

But I cannot be selfish. Not when her safety is concerned. Running is the safest option for her.

I tug her to me and pull her up for a deep kiss. She responds immediately as my hands tangle in her hair and I stroke her tongue with mine. She wraps her hands tight around my neck and sinks into me. We ignore Finnick standing to the side. My tongue maps every contour of her mouth, committing it to memory as I prepare myself to let her go.

Eventually I wrench myself away from her and rest my forehead against hers. Her chest heaves rapidly as I stroke a gentle thumb across her cheek.

"Please do this for me," I plead softly. "I love you and I need you to be safe."

Katniss's eyelids flutter close as she inhales my scent before gently nodding her head.

"I need you to be safe too," she whispers.

My heart almost breaks at her words. This separation is not going to be easy for either of us but I have to let her go.

"I will try," I whisper back before placing a soft kiss on her lips.

I pull back and I can see the pain in her eyes as I do so.

"You need to go now," I say.

Katniss stares at me a moment longer. Every feeling she has for me is expressed in that one look. We both know this is not how this should end. We should have more time. More words to express how we both feel. But there is no time.

I smile sadly back at her. She smiles too before turning to look at Finnick.

It is his turn to give her a sad smile and she hugs him quickly before turning back to look at me one last time. Her small smile tells me that she loves me.

She picks up her bow and arrows and darts into the forest.

I battle the tears that threaten to fall. There will be time for my heart to break later. Now I need to help her stay alive.

Finnick looks at me sympathetically and slaps a hand on my shoulder as he reaches down to pick up a knife for me. I give him a forced smile and take a deep breath as I push Katniss out of my mind and focus on how to save Johanna and distract the Tribute witches.

"The witches went south," Finnick says. "I can smell their perfume. We can follow their scent until we find Johanna."

I nod my head in agreement as I pick up a long sword and swing it about the air to loosen my joints.

"Let's go," I state as I begin following the sickly sweet smell of jasmine and sandalwood.

* * *

We do not have to track the Tribute witches far. The trail ends in the marshy swamps that Katniss and I had looked out on the previous evening. The 3 witches sit proudly on the other side of the marsh. The two younger ones seem to have tied Johanna from an invisible branch. They cackle and howl as they flick their wrists and cause Johanna's body to contort in pain.

The elder grey haired witch sits between them with an evil grin on her face. I have heard about the cruelty of Alma Coin but to see it etched in her ice cold eyes sends shivers down my spine. This is a woman who is used to getting what she wants.

Finnick makes a move to charge over to the witches as Cashmere causes Johanna's leg to bend and twist at odd angles. Johanna's screams reverberate around us and are amplified by our heightened senses. I pull Finnick back and he looks at me with an angry glare.

"They are torturing Johanna! She is our family! We need to do something!" Finnick yells.

"Not without assessing the situation. They want us to charge over. That way they can ambush us with whatever they have got hidden. Then we are all as good as dead, Johanna and Katniss included," I say.

Finnick sighs and hangs his head in defeat. He knows I am right. The witches have trapped us in a perfect hunting ground. The long grasses make it easy to conceal whatever beasts they have on their side and the swampy grounds will hinder our movements. Our desperation to save our friend will only work in their favour.

Coin sits from her throne of thorns with a smirk. She has spotted us and the smirk is beckoning us to attack her. She knows she has the upper hand but I have been a Phantom Hunter long enough to know strategy and wit is much more effective than rash and emotional decisions.

"What is the plan?" Finnick asks.

I take a deep breath as I scan the surroundings. The marsh is wide as far as the eye can see and sits between 2 grassy hills. Keeping the higher ground is essential but to get to the other side we need to make our way down the bottom.

My mind whirls as it goes through all the different strategies we could take but none seem to be good enough. I continue to turn idea after idea through my head hoping that the right decision will present itself.

Finnick waits patiently as I analyse the best course of action. He keeps his eye on the Tribute witches to ensure they do not make any unexpected moves.

I can feel my mind racing towards the correct solution when Finnick nudges my shoulder. In that instant my train of thought is lost and I turn to my friend with a scowl. However I am met with a wary and concerned look from Finnick.

"Peet. I think you need to look at this," he says.

I furrow my eyebrows in confusion before turning to track his line of sight. What I see causes me to stop dead in my tracks.

It seems the witches got bored of us creating a plan and have decided to take action. Out of the long yellow grasses, large and hairy beasts emerge. Their noses are long and red and their sharp teeth are bared as they hiss at us. More and more seem to pop up from the marshes and begin to make our way towards us.

Monkey mutts.

"Jesus!" Finnick exclaims. "What are these doing in 12?"

Monkey mutts are native to District 4 and have never been heard of in 12. Tales of them are used to scare young children into eating their vegetables. They are portrayed as fearsome beasts that rip out human flesh and cart off young children. They have merely been a myth in District 12 until now.

I take a gulp. I am unprepared to tackle these mutts.

I turn to Finnick for reassurance. He is originally from District 4. He must have some advice on how to tackle them.

"Try to sneak up from behind. Their hearing is poor. They will not hear you coming. Stay away from their claws. They are more deadly than their fangs," Finnick says.

I nod my head numbly but can't hear much above the blood pounding in my ears. The monkeys are descending on us howling and shrieking. The time for planning is over. They will be on us any second. We will just have to formulate one as we go. I rearrange my grip on my sword as I prepare for the attack.

"Stick together and try and fight our way through," I state.

Finnick turns to look at me and gives me a nod of the head. The smell of their wet and muddy fur hits our nostrils as they close in on us.

Finnick and I share one last look before we grip onto our weapons tightly, suck in a gulp of air and charge down the hill.

We fight side by side as the monkeys jump and wrestle with us. They are everywhere. Every time we successfully manage to kill one another appears in its place. The pace of the fight is relentless as we fight beast after beast.

I find the sword too long and heavy so drop it in favour of the small knife. I stick the blade into the stomach of the soggy beast that jumps on my back. It makes a strangled noise before it goes limp against me. As I push the dead mutt off me I hear a yell from Finnick.

"Duck!" he shouts.

I bow my head just in time to hear his trident whooshing above my head and landing with a thump into a monkey that had sprung out from the grasses.

I have just enough time to throw Finnick a grateful smile and pull his trident out of the dead monkey before the next one has attacked me.

The attack is made even harder as every so often Johanna's ear piercing scream can be heard from across the way. Every cry feels like a knife to the gut and it takes all my will power to ignore it and focus on the danger at hand.

The marshy ground below us slows our movements as our feet get stuck and we are forced to fight off the mutts while stationary in the ground and until we find a moment to pull our limbs free.

I try to escape the marshy ground by heading inwards and nearer the witches and Johanna on the other side. This proves to be a mistake as the marshy waters only get deeper and soon reach up to my waist.

A monkey manages to wrestle my head beneath the water and I thrash about in the murky depths as I become desperate for air. The pressure in my lungs begins to build as I battle with the mutt in the water. I rest my chin against the monkey's back and manage to place an arm around its head. I slide my other hand under its arm and use all my strength to roll us round, placing the monkey under the water and pinning it there. I splutter and gasp as my oxygen deprived lungs try to fill themselves with air. The monkey struggles as I regain my composure and slam my knife into its chest. Immediately it goes limp. I let go of the carcass and turn to face the next onslaught.

However the next monkey that flies at me misjudges the depth of the water and ends up floundering in the murky waters as it tries to get to me. As I watch the monkey struggle to keep its head above water I realise that they cannot swim. Suddenly I realise that if we can drag them to the deeper waters we can trap them there and drown them.

With my plan in motion I scan the area for Finnick. He is fighting 2 monkeys as one clings to his back while the other attacks from the front. He manages to throw the one off his back and impale the other with his trident before turning to find his next target.

I whistle to get his attention and he snaps his head in my direction.

"The water!" I shout gesturing to the dead monkeys floating nearby.

Finnick needs no further explanation as he sets off on a charge towards me. The monkeys follow him and I manage to round up a group to our left. Finnick swings his trident, cutting monkeys as he wades into the deeper waters. I manage to herd my group of monkeys from the opposite side as we push our two groups together.

Eventually we have herded the two groups together and we begin to push them into the deep waters. The monkeys back into each other and start to turn and snap at each other. As they begin to fight each other they also begin to flounder in the deep waters. Their cries turn to howls of panic as they begin to thrash about the water. Water splashes up and sprays in all directions as the monkeys continue to panic and thrash about.

One by one they begin to fall limp.

Finnick and I slowly step away from the drowning monkeys. Their howls begin to lesson as slowly more and more of them succumb to the murky waters.

A small explosion occurs behind us, followed by a sharp cry. Both Finnick and I twirl round to see the Tribute witches with anger in their eyes and a smouldering canister nearby. It seems their emotions are getting the better of them.

The most distressing sight though is Johanna floating in the air as Enobaria twists her hand round causing Johanna's leg to twist round at the knee. The snap of the bone is loud and clear as Johanna's knee breaks.

My own fury at the witches is amplified by this latest action. They will not get away with hurting my friend any longer.

I turn to Finnick and he nods his head at me. We are in agreement. Clenching our weapons in our hands we charge through the waters and up the hill towards the witches.

The witches instantly prepare for our attack. The younger ones stop their slow torture of Johanna to narrow their eyes towards Finnick. With a flick of the wrist Cashmere conjures a dagger in her hand and Enobaria crouches into a cat like position, her pointed teeth on show.

Finnick charges at them with his trident raised but Cashmere deflects the first blow with a sweeping hand movement that throws Finnick back. Finnick is up on his feet soon after as he prepares his next assault.

I do not have time to watch Finnick as he spins and dances between the two witches as Coin gives me a wicked smile and shoots a burst of fire out of her hand. I duck and roll out the way as the flash of fire flies past my head and singes the ground beside me. Coin continues to shoot spurts of fire at me but I continue to jump and roll out the way. One spurt catches the sleeve of my tunic and I drop and roll to extinguish it. I curse as an ember singes my skin.

All around me the ground is scorched from Coin's attempts. The heat of the fire is making me sweat and the grip on my knife loosens. I try to push away my fear of fire as another jet shoots past me. Images of my family's bakery in flames and my brothers' pained filled cries threaten to overwhelm me. I will be no use to Katniss if I let my ghosts haunt me.

A loud regal horn suddenly cuts through the summer air. The noise causes Coin and the other Tribute witches to stop and turn their attention to the sound. Finnick and I turn to share a look. We both nod. Our heightened senses can hear the clip clop of the hooves of the horses and the shouts of the brave men sent to save the Royal Princess.

The King's Guard is on their way.

I try not to contemplate what this means for Katniss. She could not have reached the village already to warn them of this. I can only assume that they have seen the disturbance and have set out to investigate. I do not know if this is a good thing. Men unaware and unprepared to face magic often face gruesome and untimely deaths.

The presence of the King's Guard has momentarily derailed the Tribute witches from their task. They do not want to deal with mere mortals. Sensing an opportunity I pick myself up off the ground and charge at Coin.

She turns just as I take the first swing of my knife at her. She sweeps her hand knocking me back and sending my knife clattering to the ground.

"You sent for the King's Guards?" she asks as she marches her way over to me.

I scramble to get back to my feet and brandish my hidden dagger. Coin looks down at me with contempt.

"There was no need to bring the mortals into this. You will pay for your foolishness," she states.

I finally manage to stand on my feet and lunge at her. Again she raises her hand and flings me across the ground.

I slam against the marshy ground and the dirty water gets in my eyes. I spy Finnick continuing to jump and twirl out of the other witches way. He deflects their enchantments with the face of his trident, sending their spells back at them.

Coin stalks her way over to me with a wicked smile on her face. I roll onto my stomach and push myself up but she knocks me down again with a flick of her wrist. I realise I have no idea how to fight her. My strength is in hand to hand combat but with her magic she never has to engage in that type of fight.

Once again I try to get back on my feet but this time I feel a slicing pain along the top of my thigh. I let out a cry of pain as I clutch the top of my leg and collapse to the ground in agony. As I roll onto my back and look down to assess the damage I see a long line of blood leeching though my breeches.

Coin smirks as she towers over me. Another flick of the hand and a heavy log appears in the air and drops down hard on my chest. The wind is knocked out of me as the log keeps me pinned to the ground as I struggle to squirm free.

Coin laughs as she stands over me, a satisfied smile on her face.

"It was a valiant effort I must say," she says. "You and your friends out witted me longer that I gave you credit for. But you see I always get what I want in the end. Even with my weakening magic I am more powerful than any human being."

She lowers her head closer to mine. Her cold eyes glint with greed and power.

"You and your fellow Phantom Hunters could have joined us. Katniss Everdeen is a necessary sacrifice to ensure magic remains. Magic that flows in your veins. But instead you decided to alley yourself with her. Tell me. How does it feel to die for that ungrateful little bitch?"

"I would die a hundred lifetimes to ensure she is safe from the likes of you," I spit in her face.

My response startles Coin a little and she pulls back with a small laugh.

"Oh how amusing! You have fallen in love with her! That will make a fantastic song. The Phantom Hunter that fell in love with the Princess!" Coin laughs.

However she stops to flash me another wicked smile.

"It is well known the most popular songs have tragic endings," she says as she conjures a knife into her hand and raises it above her head.

I stare up at her hopelessly as she prepares to take my last breath. The pain is my leg is blinding and the log is pressing the air out of my lungs.

This is how I am going to die. In a marsh and by the hands of a power hungry witch. In my last moments I hope that Katniss is safe. That Finnick will be able to hold the witches off long enough until the red moon disappears.

I conjure her image up in my head as I wait for my death. I imagine the way she looked last night. The way the fading sun framed her beautiful face. The content look in her eyes as snuggled in closer to me. The way she felt as she clenched around me. I make a silent prayer that I will still be able to watch over her when I am gone.

Then out of the corner of my eye I catch sight of a long dark braid wiping round as it makes it way stealthily through the tall grasses.

I shake my head to try and rid myself of the sight. She can't be here. The situation is too dangerous. Why does she have to be so stubborn? I was stupid to think she would have stayed away.

Katniss jumps out of the tall grasses with her bow raised. Her eyes widen in fear as she catches sight of me in this deathly position. But this is soon replaced by a fiery anger as her eyes narrow in on Coin towering over me.

Coin has barely time to react before Katniss has pulled her bow back and taken aim at Coin. I can see Katniss's body buzzing with the magical power that is accumulating in her body. She lets it build momentum as she gathers all her strength. There is just enough time for the shock to register on Coin's face before Katniss channels all her anger and magic to release the arrow.

The arrow bursts from the bow and catches fire mid flight. It tears through the air and directly at Coin. In that moment I know the arrow will not miss. Whatever magic Katniss has managed to conjure will ensure the arrow stays on target.

And then suddenly the arrow multiplies and another two fiery arrows fly through the air. These arrows swerve away from Coin and in the direction of Cashmere and Enobaria. The arrows twist round Finnick before impaling the two younger witches and setting them alight.

As Coin turns to look at her burning coven the original arrow pierces through her heart and she lets out a blood curdling scream as the flames engulf her. I watch her with my heart racing as she crumples to the ground and her body turns to ashes.

The fires eventually blow themselves out and a sudden breeze carries the last remains of the Tribute witches away.

I drop my head back against the ground as I let the fact sink in that the witches have been defeated. That Katniss is safe.

I can't believe the strength of magic she just produced. To kill 3 witches with a single arrow is unheard off. Her magic is truly unbelievable.

Katniss rushes towards me, dropping her bow and arrows and raising her hand to lift the log off my chest. I gasp as the pressure is lifted from my lungs. Katniss drops down beside me and strokes my sweaty and muddy curls off my face.

"Peeta! Are you alright? Are you hurt?" she asks frantically.

I give her a pained filled smile as I look up at her. Even though I am mad at her for coming back and putting herself in danger I am glad I get to see her one last time. She sees my look and immediately begins trailing her hands across my body to try and locate the injury.

I hiss and grimace as her hand brushes against my thigh and she pulls back to assess the damage. She tears the frayed material of my breeches to reveal the long thin cut down my thigh. She traces her finger over it to assess the depth.

"Did the witch do this to you? I can heal you this cut if it was made by magic," she says.

I nod my head before I bite down on my lip as her fingers press down into the wound.

"I'm sorry. The pain will be gone in a minute," she says.

She closes her eyes and focuses her magic in on the cut. I watch amazed as the cut seals itself and begins to fade. The burning pain subsides as she opens her eyes and completes the spell.

She looks down at me with a small smile and the threat of tears in the corner of her eyes. I feel the prick of tears in my own eyes. My emotions come rushing to the fore. I reach up and crush her to me.

"You stupid girl. I told you to run. Why did you come back?" I sob into her neck.

"I could not let that be our goodbye. I could not know if you were alive or not," she cries as her tears soak into my tunic. My hand reaches up to caress the back of her head.

"I was stupid to think you would stay away. It is against your natural instincts to listen to me," I joke.

Katniss lets out a small laugh before she sniffs loudly and pulls back to look at me. My hand reaches out to stroke the side of her face.

"When are you going to learn that I am always right," she says with a watery smile.

I smile back at her and pull her down for a soft kiss.

We are interrupted by the sound of Finnick and Johanna's feet. With the demise of Cashmere the magic binding Johanna has lifted and she has returned to ground safely. She uses Finnick's shoulder for support as she hops on her good leg over to us.

"It looks like we have you to thank for saving our lives. I do not think I will ever be able to admit a little princess saved me," Johanna says with a smile.

Katniss grins in appreciation.

Just then another blast from the horn in the King's Guard sounds and we all look towards the rapidly descending guards.

"We need to leave soon. They suspect us of kidnapping the Princess. We cannot risk spending a night in the cells," Finnick states.

Katniss turns to me with a panicked look. The time has come for us to say goodbye again. I give her a small smile as I tangle my fingers with hers. The ache in my heart returns as I think about leaving her.

"We have some time. It will take them at least 20 minutes to reach us," I say.

Katniss gives me a sad smile and I look towards Finnick and Johanna. They understand the hint and prepare to leave us alone.

"It has been interesting Princess," Johanna says to Katniss. "I'll be proud to call you my Queen."

Katniss smiles at her in gratitude and Johanna tips her head in parting. Finnick strides over and wraps Katniss is a warm embrace.

"There is not a more beautiful and courageous girl to have ever spurned my advances. I will miss you Katniss Everdeen," Finnick says.

"I will miss you too Finnick," Katniss replies before pulling back and giving him a quick kiss on the cheek.

Finnick smiles as he waves goodbye and goes off to help a hobbling Johanna.

Katniss turns to me with a sad look as we are left alone.

"Walk with me," I say reaching my hand out for her.

She smiles sadly and nods as she reaches out to take my hand. I run a finger over her knuckles as I savour these last moments with her.

We walk slowly over the marshy ground and towards the green bank on the opposite side. Neither of us say anything for a moment as we let the events of the day sink in. And the truth is I do not know what to say to her. Johanna has often made a joke of my gift for words but I find in this moment I have none. No words seem good enough to describe how much I love her. How much I am going to miss her. How I will never be able to forget her.

"I want to thank you for everything you have done for me," Katniss finally speaks. "You have protected me. Saved my life…"

"We saved each other," I cut her off.

We stop and she turns to face me with a smile.

"Yes. We did. But it is more than that. You have made me feel free and strong. With you I feel invincible."

I lean forward to rest my head against hers. I reach a hand out to stroke a hand across her cheek.

"Every minute I spend with you I fall in love with you more. I did not know what love was until I meet you," I say.

Katniss smiles and nods her head in agreement as my thumb sweeps across her bottom lip.

"I do not know how to say goodbye to you," she breathes.

"Then we don't. I love you Katniss Everdeen. And that will just have to be enough," I reply.

"I love you," she replies.

I nod my head before I reach down to place a soft kiss on her lips. The kiss is slow and gentle and completely different from the needy one we shared earlier. It is a kiss full of love and longing. It is the sweetest final kiss.

All too soon I force myself to pull back and let her go. My thumb strokes across her cheek. I paint a mental picture in my head. I memorise every freckle, every dimple. The specks of green in her grey irises. I do not ever want to forget her face.

I look over her shoulder to see the King's Guard rapidly approaching. Now is the time to go.

Tears run down her cheeks. I cannot say anything more out of the fear of breaking down. I drop my hand and take a step back. She watches me as I turn to gesture to Finnick and Johanna to leave. They nod and begin to make their way back to the forest behind us. I turn to look at Katniss one last time.

My heart breaks at the sight of her crying and in pain. It takes all my will power to turn back around and walk away.

I do not let myself look back as I wade through the marshes and climb up the grassy bank and towards the trees. Silent tears run down my cheeks.

Once I have reached the confines of the trees I finally turn to catch one last glimpse of her.

She has walked up the small hill on the opposite side of the marsh to meet the King's Guards. The horses surround her in a semi-circle and a tall dark haired man jumps off his horse to rush over to her and wrap her in his arms. I cannot be sure from this distance but I assume he is the Prince she is all but betrothed to.

I lean against the tree as I let my heart break fully at the sight of her leaving. The pain radiates out from the centre of my chest leeching into every fibre of my being until my whole body is consumed by the longing and loss for her.

I see her turn round to look in my general direction. She scans the trees until she spots my blond curls poking out from behind the tree. I swear I can see her smile sadly before turning back and letting the Prince lead her away.

My heart aches as I watch the woman I love ride away from me.

* * *

**A/N: So that was the climax of the Tribute witches pursuit of Katniss! I hope you found it exciting. The remaining chapters will deal with Katniss and Peeta adjusting to life without each other. My heart is breaking for them both at the moment but I am working towards a HEA for them.**

**Thanks to everyone you continues to read and enjoy this story.**


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 13

_Katniss_

I am jostled slightly as the carriage makes it way up the bumpy path. The wide expanse of sloping and immaculately cut grass pass by my window as we approach the palace gates. I can see the glinting gold tops of the palace towers rising from the summit of the grassy hill. I will be home soon.

I fidget on the plush seat of the carriage as I struggle to get comfortable. I pull on the top of my gown in an effort to relieve some of the pressure. The bodice of the dress is pulled tight around my chest and I struggle to breathe. I do not know what to do with all the excess material of the skirt. It is heavy and cumbersome. Having spent the last 2 months wearing men's clothing I am struggling to readjust to these constricting garments.

Prince Gale sees my discomfort from his seat opposite me. He smiles at me reassuringly as he reaches across to take my hand. I have to force myself not to flinch away from his touch. His hands do not feel right. They seem so much colder than Peeta's warm and comforting touch.

"I know it must be daunting for you to go back. You have suffered so much these last couple of months. But you are safe now. Everyone celebrates and welcomes your safe return," Prince Gale says.

I give him a small smile in return but cannot even begin to explain to him that the palace no longer feels like home.

It has been 3 days since I was "rescued" by Prince Gale and the King's Guard. The Prince had been distressed to see me all bloody and in men's clothing and immediately swept me up like a damsel in distress and carried me to the nearest inn to allow me to clean up and rest.

The rest of that day I spent sat in a daze as maids rushed around me, making me "presentable" and declaring how unfortunate I had been. All the while I sat there with a hole in my chest, desperately trying to hold back the tears for the man I left behind.

A moment has not gone by where I have not thought about him. I wonder where he is. What he is doing. Wondering if he misses me as much as I miss him. I feel like I have lost part of myself and I feel empty and hollow as a result. I cannot taste the food in my mouth or feel the comfort of the silk sheets that I sleep in as my senses have gone numb. Nothing seems to matter without him here. All that I am aware of is the ache in my chest.

As people rush about to attend me and tell me how lucky I am to still be alive all I can think about is how I do not belong here anymore.

I keep expecting to hear one of Finnick's stories or the sound of Johanna's axe. Sounds that have become so familiar and comforting to me. Sounds that feel like home. I have always been surrounded by people but it is only now that I realise I have never really had true friends. My true friends are out in the woods desperately trying to keep us safe from beings we have been taught only exist in fairytales. I long to join them.

The readjustment into normal society has been difficult. I have become accustomed to my freedom but now my father's guards watch me like a hawk. I cannot even use the lavatory without an armed guard. They are terrified someone is going to whisk me away again. They do not know that the threat to my life has been extinguished.

There were a lot of questions when I was first rescued. They wanted to know exactly who had kidnapped me and why. I was vague with the details, lying about how it was a group of bandits who saw an opportunity. I do not mention the Tribute witches or Peeta and his friends. The District is not prepared to find out about magic and I do not think the King's Guard would understand the Phantom Hunter's motives for capturing me. There is a bounty on their heads. I keep quiet to keep them safe.

As we draw nearer the palace gates crowds of people line the path, waving flags of gold and blue as they celebrate my homecoming. They chant and cheer my name as they crane to look into the carriage to catch a glimpse of their rescued princess.

I am out of practise of using my public mask but I try my hardest to remember everything that Effie has taught me and turn to look out the window with a fake smile. It is an empty smile. Barely more than a grimace. I find I do not have the energy or the will to try and pretend to be happy. I do try to raise my hand to wave to the passing crowd and the roar from outside grows louder as a result. They cannot see how broken I feel. Prince Gale sidles up beside me and joins me with the regal waving to the crowd. This act annoys me. His constant presence just reminds me who I cannot have.

I smile and wave all the way up to the palace gates and my jaw and wrist hurt from the effort of it all. I sag back against the carriage wall as he heavy wooden gates open and the carriage trundles into the square. The effort of pretending to be happy is taxing when all I want to do it lock myself away in a room and let myself grieve over the relationship I have lost. But there are yet more people within the palace walls, among them the Dukes and Duchesses of the District, and I grow anxious at the thought of having to face them all. I have become so accustomed to a quiet existence in the woods.

The carriage jolts to a stop and I grip the edge of the seat and press my back against the carriage wall as I brace myself for the crowd that waits. Prince Gale gives me another reassuring smile before waiting for the footman to open the carriage door and stepping out. Once outside he turns to face me inside the carriage and offers me a hand. I look at him anxiously for a moment before gathering the courage to take his hand and let him help me down the small wooden steps.

The crowd cheers as I step out into the warm summer air. I put on my best public smile and wave as an escort ushers me to turn and look at my parents.

My mother stands by the palace entrance with tears in her eyes. There is a hint of dark circles under her eyes that suggest a trouble sleeping but otherwise she looks as regal and beautiful as ever. Her blonde hair still shines in the sun and the red jewels around her neck sparkle and almost blind me. She gives me a relieved smile as I turn to face them but my eyes are immediately drawn to my father beside her.

I have worried about him while I was away. I knew his lungs were getting weaker but it seems my disappearance has had a drastic effect on his health.

He must have lost at least 2 stone in weight and his once rosy complexion has disappeared and his skin now appears sunken and grey. His once thick dark hair has thinned and turned completely grey. He sits on an ornately decorated wooden chair, obviously too weak to stand and is wrapped in a thick royal blue cloak even though the sun is shining high in the sky.

I forget all my anxieties about returning home and leaving Peeta at the sight of my father so obviously wasting away. I ignore Effie's calls to speak with some of the people before greeting my family and rush over to fling my arms around him.

I collide into him and he has to steady himself against the arms of the chair before he wraps his arms around me and cradles me in a warm embrace.

"I have missed you my Little Mockingjay," he whispers in my ear.

The tears fall from my eyes as I remember why I came back. I came back for my father. To continue what he has started.

"I missed too Papa," I reply. "I am here now."

Father says nothing in return but gives me a gentle squeeze with his weak arms. I feel a single tear run down his cheek and drop down on my shoulder as he does so.

Paying no attention to Effie's shrieks about schedules and my royal duty I help my father up and insist he is escorted back to his chambers. His physical deterioration is hard for me to bear and I can sense that this small excursion has been a struggle for him. The District does not need to see their king this way.

My father's escorts help me support him and I turn to give my apologies to the crowd. I wrap an arm around my father's waist and half carry him as he makes his way back to his chambers.

Once inside he collapses on the bed, breathing heavily. A round a harsh coughing follows soon after and an escort rushes to hand my father some water. I take a seat at my father's bedside as I help him tip the cool liquid down his throat and smooth his hair back. I continue to stroke his hair as the coughing subsides and he sags back against the pillows. Mother stands in the background with a sad look on her face.

Papa looks up at me with a tired smile.

"I hope this is not a dream. I have been longing for you to come home for so long now part of me thinks this cannot be real," he says.

I return his smile.

"No Papa. This is real. I am real. Your Little Mockingjay is safe," I say still stroking his head.

Papa smiles before he knits his eyebrows in concern.

"You are not hurt are you? They did not harm you?" he says panicked and searching my face for signs of physical injury.

I shake my head fiercely and bend my head closer to his.

"No Papa. They treated me well. I am perfectly healthy," I state.

Papa lets out a relieved sigh and smiles at me. He does not need to know that it is the emotional injury that haunts me the most. He does not need to know that my heart is broken and I struggle to stop myself from breaking. His health is more important.

"But Papa you are not. What have you been doing while I have been away?" I ask concern laced through my voice.

Papa just smiles.

"Do not worry about me. I will be fine. Particularly now my Little Mockingjay is back," he replies affectionately.

I give him a small smile but know what he says is a lie. He is most definitely not fine and I do not know how many days I will have left to spend with my father.

"You must rest now Papa. I need you healthy and strong," I say.

Papa nods his head.

"I will," he says. "But will you sing to me? You have the most beautiful singing voice. I have missed it so very much."

I smile and nod. Singing with Papa has always been a fond memory for me. I continue to stroke his hair as I begin singing the first line of the lullaby he used to sing to me when I was a child.

"_Deep in the meadow, a soft green pillow…." _I sing.

Papa smiles as I sing the first few bars and soon his eyes are drooping and he drifts off into a deep sleep. I sing the song twice through to ensure he is settled before reaching over to place a soft kiss between his brows and turning to face my mother.

She smiles at me wistfully as I stand to join her.

"The pair of you really do have the most beautiful singing voices. Even the birds stop to listen," Mother says.

I smile at her. Singing is always something I have done for pleasure but I hate to think what it will be like if my father is not here to enjoy it with me.

"He has gotten so frail. I almost did not recognise him," I state.

Mother nods her head sadly.

"He took the news of your capture badly. He was angry at himself for losing you. He blamed himself for putting you in danger," Mother says.

"There was nothing he could have done. I had all the appropriate protection. It just was not enough," I reply.

"I know that. He just loves you so much. He barely slept while you were gone and the healers say that the distress of your capture has been enough to accelerate the deterioration of his lungs. We can only hope that your return will halt the process."

I turn to look at my father who now sleeps peacefully in his bed. I am not convinced by my mother's words but I have to hold on to the hope. I cannot lose him yet. Not after I have just lost Peeta.

"I know I do not have the same relationship that you have with your father but I am glad you are home. I have missed you as well," Mother says.

I turn back to look at her and am suddenly reminded about how she lied to me. Lied about my family heritage. Lied about the fact I am a witch. How much can she really love me if she kept this part of me a secret?

I grow angry at her for this fact. I am so emotionally exhausted from having to first leave Peeta and now see father so ill that I snap at her. I do not want her words of love. She was the root of so many of my problems. I want to know why she has lied to me.

"Were you ever going to tell me I was a witch?" I ask.

My question clearly shocks her and her eyes widen as a result.

"Who told you that?" she asks.

"I learned a lot while I was away. I faced many magical beings. I was taught how to harness and control my magic to do great things. But you had been content to keep me ignorant. You made me think there something wrong with me every time I made something unusual happen," I reply bitterly.

Mother looks away and shakes her head.

"I was protecting you. I know what it is like to grow up with these powers. I know the stigma of having magic places on you. The people would have come out with pitchforks and fire if they knew you practised magic. It was better to keep you ignorant and safe than being hunted down by an angry mob," she says.

"But it did not keep me safe. Your family descends from the original witches. I was captured because some witches needed that blood. They needed a blood sacrifice to ensure their magic survived," I reply anger beginning to rise in my voice.

Mother's eyes widen in surprise.

"I thought the red moon sacrifice was myth. I did not think it would put you in danger," she replies.

"You were wrong. Maybe if you had trusted me with the truth I would have been at a better place to defend myself against them," I say bitterly.

"I do not regret keeping this from you. I could not have predicted this would happen. I left magic behind when I married your father. He has no idea of what I really am and I am glad. Nothing good comes from magic. You would have learned that if you had known the truth," she says firmly.

"I disagree. I was able to save people I love because of my magic. But I suppose it does not matter now. The sacrifice was not completed. Our magic is gone. I will never know what I was capable of," I say coldly.

We stare at each other for a few moments. I had tried the day after the red moon disappeared to move a simple feather but there was nothing there. The surge of power I have grown accustomed too is gone.

I did not expect to be so disappointed by this fact. I told Peeta I did not like the burden of harbouring so much power but now it is gone I find that I miss it. My magic is what brought me to Peeta. Our bond strengthened as he taught me how to control it. I miss that I do not have that connection with him anymore.

Neither my mother nor I have anything more to say to each other. We will never agree about her deception. We can only put it aside and endeavour to move past it. Mother makes her excuses after a few moments and exits my father's chambers. I resume my seat next to my father's beside and watch him as he sleeps. I need to focus on his health and not a rift with my mother.

* * *

The next week is a blur as I try to re-accustom myself with palace life. I re-accustom myself to the feel of a soft mattress and silk sheets against my skin while I sleep at night but find they are a poor substitute for Peeta's strong arms around me. Most nights I wake screaming of lizard mutts and power hungry witches as I watch Peeta die over and over again in my nightmares. The guards rush in to save me from whatever attacker they think is here to get me but are left perplexed as they only find me fighting my imaginary demons.

After the fourth night they stop coming in and the gossip goes round the palace about how traumatised I have become after my recent capture.

The pain of losing Peeta grows as these nightmares intensify. I find myself wrapping my arms around myself to try and to stop myself from breaking. I find myself searching for him everywhere I go. I stop and take a double glance at every man with blond hair and blue eyes. I am always left disappointed when it is not his smile I see.

The only time I do not think of him is when I when I am attending my father. His ill health is the only thing that eclipses my own pain. I throw myself into nursing him in an effort to distract myself from Peeta.

It soon becomes apparent that my father's health is hindering his ability to rule the District. When I am not nursing my father I am pushed into countless council meetings as the members prepare me for my father's abdication and my subsequent coronation. I find that these meetings are a lot of round and loud men shouting at each other and complaining and never agreeing on a solution.

I sit bewildered during those first couple of meetings. There is so much noise it makes it hard to think. I feel out of my depth and I begin to question my abilities to rule. I cannot see myself controlling this group of obnoxious men.

However by the fifth meeting I remind myself that I have faced a swarm of tracker jackers and defeated power hungry witches. I find the courage I used then to find my voice and demand that all the men keep quiet.

The room falls silent as the old and bald men all turn to look at me surprised. Sensing I have commanded their attention I clearly set out rules for meeting etiquette. I make it clear that anyone who does not follow my rules will be kindly asked to leave.

The men all sit in a stunned silence before gently nodding their heads and I begin to chair the meeting appropriately. I make every man wait their turn to speak and by the end we have a set of proposals to solve the various issues that were brought to the table.

However my new found authority and my father's impending abdication only increases the need for me to find a husband. It is agreed by every royal advisor that I cannot rule the District alone. I disagree with them but understand the need to pick my battles. Even though the thought of marrying a man that is not Peeta terrifies me I know it will unite the District and provide a much needed alliance with District 3. I have a duty to fulfil.

Prince Gale is ever present the first week of my return. We were all but engaged before I was captured and most people assume that our engagement is imminent. He attends most of the council meetings with me and we spend many evenings walking the palace gardens together.

He is a good man and I find I enjoy his company but I know I will never be able to love him more than a friend. He treats me like a fragile doll. He shields me from the situations he does not think I can handle and no matter how much I beg he will never take me outside the confines of the palace walls.

The palace has become claustrophobic for me. I long for the freedom of the woods below but the Prince's refusal to allow me there is infuriating. I tried to sneak out but he sent a train of 15 palace guards to fetch me and escort me back to the palace. I hate being treated like a small child.

His over protection irritates me. I do not want to be some passive wife. I have proven to myself that I do not need a man to save me.

Even so I come to expect his proposal at the ball held in celebration for my safe return. It is on the first Saturday of my return and I dread the crowds of people and the public mask I will have to put on.

No expense is spared as the ballroom is flooded with roses and diamonds. Softly flickering candles line the small alcoves in the walls, catching the dangling diamonds from the ceiling and making them twinkle in the dusk light. Kings and Queens from the other Districts are invited and a 9 course feast is prepared.

I am dressed in a heavy gold gown with lace trim and long sleeves that drape down and make me look like I have wings. My hair is twisted into an elaborate braid that is pinned to the top of my head and my grandmother's diamond tiara with a deep blue sapphire set in the centre is placed upon my head.

My handmaidens all comment on how beautiful I look and how Prince Gale will not be able to take his eyes off me. But I look in the mirror and long for the girl who had mud smeared across her cheek and pine needles in her hair.

My entrance is announced at the ball and I am escorted into the hall by Prince Gale. I tip my head in greeting to the guests that we pass and move towards my parents at the opposite end.

My father sits proudly in his royal blue velvet tunic and polished gold crown on top of his head as he watches me walk towards him. My return has indeed seemed to have raised his spirits and he has been able to move about more. However he is still weak and I know this night will be a strenuous affair for him.

I give first my mother, and then my father a quick peck on the cheek as I take my place beside them. I turn to face the rich and extinguished guests. Many of them smile back at me happily but I know there will be people in the room who will question my ability to rule just because I am a woman. I gather the strength that I felt whenever I was near Peeta and hold my head up high. I smile back at the crowd as I picture him standing at the back of the crowd smiling at me proudly.

I am turned from guest to guest as the night goes on. I am introduced to Dukes you will help provide my District with grain and knights who are willing to lead armies for me. I greet them all with a smile, laugh at their jokes and part with a thank you for their support. I become dizzy with the constant sea of faces and twirling round the ballroom.

During a lapse in my rounds Prince Gale asks me for a dance. He stands tall and handsome opposite me as we wait for the music to start. He smiles at me as the first few bars are played by the harpist and he offers his hand to turn me. I take his arm as he turns me around. His movements are elegant as he effortlessly leads me through the dance.

I can see the other girls swoon in my direction as he sweeps me in his arms to twirl me about the floor. His arms are big and strong and move me with a purpose but in the moment I cannot help but yearn for another pair of arms. A pair of arms that did not know how to dance and kept stepping on my toes. He feels all wrong. He is too tall and his hands too smooth. His eyes smolder instead of sparkle. The smile is less genuine. He takes the dance so seriously and I yearn for the more lighted hearted attempts of Peeta.

The music finishes and Prince Gale ends with a flourish, twirling me out of his arms and then back again so that I fall against his chest. He smiles at me and I blush at his over the top display. The crowd clap and cheer and I grow even more embarrassed.

"Will you take a walk with me?" Prince Gale bends down to whisper in my ear.

My hearts drops at his words. There is only one reason he would want to take me on a walk tonight. I reluctantly nod my head and let him lead me out of the ballroom.

* * *

The Prince is silent as we stroll through the palace grounds and towards the rose gardens. I look up at the twinkling stars to distract myself from the Prince's impending question. I take heart in the fact that somewhere else Peeta will be looking up at the same set of stars.

The Prince stops abruptly and turns to face me. He takes a deep breath before taking a step towards me and planting himself a few inches away from me.

"Princess Katniss," he starts. "I had enjoyed getting to know you before you were taken. You are a beautiful girl and any man would be proud to call you their wife. Your capture just brought to my attention the need for you to find a strong husband to look after you. A brave man to help you rule this District. I believe I am that man."

He looks at me earnestly and I blink back at him. I know what my answer will be but I am not sure how I should react. The Prince takes another step towards me and takes my hand.

"Katniss Everdeen, your Royal Princess of District 12, I would very much like it if you would do the honour of marrying me," he says.

I stare at him for a moment before answering. All I can see looking at him is the blond hair and blue eyes I long to be with. Peeta is the one I want asking me this question. The only person I can imagine being happy with in marriage. But instead there is only a tall and dark man standing in front of me who is little more than a stranger. I choke back the tears that threatens to fall.

This is the path I chose to take. I chose it for my father and for my District but as my future stands in front of me all I long for is Peeta's warm smile and gentle touch.

And for the first time since I returned I think about leaving. Disappearing in the dead of night and finding him. Living a simple life in the woods where he could bake and I could hunt.

But just as I do a flash of my father's tired and weary face crosses my mind. I am in no doubt that my leaving would kill him. I cannot be responsible for my father's death.

So I take a deep breath and breathe out;

"Yes."

* * *

3 weeks later I sit on the eve of my wedding night looking out of my bedroom window at the slowly setting sun. The oranges and reds bleed through the night sky and I am transported back to another time, another sunset and the loving touch of a different man.

I have gone through the motions the last couple of weeks. I do what is required of me but find no enjoyment in any of my other pursuits. I feel lost and guilty for agreeing to marry another man. My smiles are never genuine.

I carry him with me where ever I go. He sits beside me in the council meetings willing me to stand up for what I believe in. He is there pulling faces as Effie rambles on about the plans for my wedding. I see the hunger and love he had for me every time I look at the sunset.

It is this time of day that I feel closest to him. The colours of the sky so closely resemble his favourite colour. It is a reminder of the love and intimacy we shared that night. I wonder if he thinks about me whenever he watches the sun set. I know I always will.

But tomorrow I will belong to another man. Another man will get to touch me. Another man will help me rule.

My father's abdication will be announced a couple of days after the wedding. It is becoming imperative that this wedding happens quickly.

My old nurse, Sae comes up behind me as I watch the last tendrils of the sunlight disappear behind the Snow Mountains.

"What is his name?" Sae asks.

I break my stare from the night sky to turn and look at her in confusion.

"Whose name?" I ask.

"The boy that you search for out of this window," she states with a small smile.

I let out a sad laugh as I look down at my hands. Of course Sae has noticed my melancholy. She has known me from the day I was born. The only person who knows me better in the palace is Papa. Of course she can sense my despair and longing. Of course she is able to identify the cause of my sadness.

"His name is Peeta. And he is the best man I have ever know," I reply.

It feels a bit of a relief to admit it out loud to someone in the palace. It is exhausting having to keep it from everyone. I desperately need someone to confide in.

"You love him," she states with a sad smile.

I can only nod my head as I turn to look back out the window. I allow a single tear to slip down my cheek.

"Is it that obvious?" I ask as I search the blackening sky.

"You sit by this window ever night searching for him as the sun sets. I can see your longing and love for him as you look out. It breaks my heart to see you so sad," she replies.

I let out a loud breath as I continue to stare out over the vastness of the District. It calms me a little to know he is out there somewhere, hopefully safe and alive.

"I cannot forget him," I state. "He has my heart. Part of him will always be with me."

I move my hand to rub across my currently flat abdomen. The need to marry the Prince grows more important as every day passes.

Sae catches sight of my hand resting on my stomach and over the life that grows there and the realisation dawns in her eyes.

"Oh child, what trouble have you got yourself into?" she asks.

* * *

**A/N: Poor Katniss. She's in a pretty horrible situation but I hope you understand why she is marrying Gale. Only 2 more chapters until the end so the HEA is coming. Just got to be patient for a little bit longer.**

**As always thank you to everyone that reads and supports this story. I love hearing from you and make writing so much easier.**


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 14

_Peeta_

3 years pass and I struggle to find the meaning in my life. In the 2 short months I had known Katniss she became my whole life. My sole purpose was to love and protect her. There was nothing except her. She became permanently ingrained in my soul.

I have tried my hardest to move on and forget her. I have thrown myself into the role of leader of our small group of Phantom Hunters. It is almost an endless loop of scouting new dangers, planning our course of attack and diffusing the danger. I do not let our small group detour from our quest for a single moment. The monsters we face may be fearsome and dangerous but the thought of having time to dwell on Katniss terrifies me more.

But even with our constant missions and expeditions she still finds time to slip into my consciousness. It is all too easy for her to do so when the District buzzes with praise and love for her.

In the 3 years since her father's abdication and her subsequent coronation she has done some remarkable things for the District. District poverty has been halved as she has set up foundations to help raise money to feed and clothe the needy and the helpless. She has set up funds to help pheasant farmers buy and own the land that they work on. Schools have been set up in the various orphanages across the land.

She is truly fulfilling her promise to be a great queen.

I try to ignore much of the palace gossip. Particularly the stories about her brave and handsome husband and the sweet and beautiful young princess named Primrose. And how the little princess has beautiful blue eyes even though both her parents' are steel grey. I do not allow myself to wallow in what ifs.

The truth is it is all too easy for her to invade my mind. There is so much around me that reminds me of her. The mockingjay's song. The flight of an arrow. The sunset….

The nights are the worse. I see her singing and laughing in my dreams. Dreams that are so vivid. I can smell her sweet scent of pine and strawberries. I can hear the enchanting chuckle of her laugh. I can feel the softness of her skin underneath my fingertips. For a few brief moments I can savour these make believe moments with her.

But the cruel reality when I wake up in the morning is crushing. It makes me wish I never had these dreams. It is only more disappointing when I wake up and realise none of it was real.

I avoid sleep to escape them. I stay up until the small hours of the morning going through the repetitive motions of kneading bread until my body is too exhausted to carry on and I collapse into a fitful sleep.

All my attempts to move on are worthless though. As much as I want the pain of not being with her to disappear I know in the deepest of my heart I do not want to forget.

I work out the frustration of my latest dream about Katniss on the bread dough I am pounding in our small cottage kitchen. The heat of the oven causes a drop of sweat to run down my forehead. This dream had been set in the future. In the dream I had woken with Katniss in my arms and her belly swollen with child. I had felt the little butterfly kicks of our child underneath my hands. I had cried when I woke this morning and I realised the dream could never be.

I don't let my mind focus on anything apart from the throwing and kneading of the dough. I empty my mind of everything else. I concentrate only on the scent of yeast rising. Anything to stop myself thinking about her.

But suddenly my ears prick up as my hunter senses hear something 5 miles to the west. A low, loud howling sound is carried through the wind to hit my ears.

Within seconds Johanna and Finnick have burst through the door and I have abandoned the dough I was kneading. We all share a look between us. Johanna has an excited glint in her eye.

"I heard it too," Finnick says after catching my eye. "I think they are on the move."

"I can smell those straggly mutts from miles out. We need to move now if we have any chance of tracking them," Johanna adds.

I nod my head in agreement. Our latest quest has been to track a pack of wolf mutts that have been terrorising local villages the past few months. They has gone into homes and taken off young children as well as destroying many of the main food sources in the villages.

We have been unsuccessfully tracking the beasts for the last 6 weeks. Our heightened senses often pick up the sounds and smells of them but the mutts are quick and clever and we have often followed a trail for hours before it eventually runs cold. I am determined that this is not going to happen today.

I have a personal vendetta against these beasts after the scenario with my family. I still find it hard to forgive myself for chasing that wolf mutt and letting my family perish. It will be some sort of revenge if I can put down these beasts once and for all.

Nothing else needs to be said as we all grab our weapons and race out the door. Johanna's nose has picked up their scent and we follow closely behind as she twists and turns her way through the forest. I can hear us gaining in on the pack as we hear the scrape of the claws against the hard brown earth and the sound of their heavy breathing.

As we draw closer it becomes apparent they must be chasing something. The sound of the paws banging against the dirt picks up and their howls turn to the now familiar sound of their hunting cry. As I put my head down and pump my legs harder I can only hope they are chasing some sort of animal. However I know the chances of that are slim. There is nothing more a wolf mutt prefers than the taste of human flesh.

Eventually Finnick, Johanna and I burst onto a wide dirt road. We spin to look down the road and catch sight of the pack of mutts chasing after a grand carriage. There are 3 mutts in the pack, 1 flanking either side of the carriage with the final one snapping at the rear. The carriage wobbles and shakes as the horses try to out run the wolves but we know that they will fail.

We pause only for a moment before we sprint down the road to try and rescue the passengers.

Similar to the wolves we take on a triangle formation, each one of us picking off a different wolf. I choose the wolf on the left hand side of the carriage. It is the second biggest of the pack with long stringy grey hair and glowing yellow eyes.

The carriage comes to a crashing halt as the wolf to the right rounds on it and blocks its path. The carriage stops so abruptly it wobbles on its wheels before crashing to the ground. 2 of the wolf mutts jump on the horses and footmen at the front of the carriage as they begin to tear through flesh and bone. The strangled screams of the footmen rip through the air as Johanna springs from the air and tries to slam her axe into the shoulder of one of the mutts. The wolf ducks out the way just in time and she only grazes the side of the beast. Finnick soon runs round to join her as the 2 mutts turn their attention away from the footmen and to the people that are now attacking them.

I do not have time to watch any longer as the mutt that I am chasing has pounced on the side door of the carriage and is ravaging the wooden frame, sending splinters of wood flying through the air.

Just as I am about to jump on the wolf the mutt is thrown back as a young man pushes open the door and brandishes a sword. I catch the determined glare in the young man's steely grey gaze as he prepares to fight the wolf.

The wolf lands on all fours and hunches down, baring its teeth to the man in a low growl. The pair circle each other for a moment before the young man takes an ill-advised swipe at the wolf. The wolf jumps out the way causing the man to lose his balance slightly and the wolf takes this as his moment to attack. The wolf launches itself at the man, snapping the sword out of his hand and pushing him back into the open carriage. I only hear the sound of ripping flesh and snapping bone as the young man takes his last breaths.

With the wolf preoccupied I know it is my time to strike. I am doing this for the fearless young man that is currently being devoured. I am doing this for all the little children that didn't get the chance to grow up. I am doing this for the family I lost.

With an almightily cry I run towards the wolf and jump with my sword raised. I land on the wolf's back and sink my sword into its spongy flesh. The blood spurts up and splatters my face as I stick the sword in further and twist it round the wolf's body. It jerks its head back and whines at the impact before its head lolls forward and it slumps against the carriage side.

I roughly pull my sword out of the dead mutt and wipe the blood off on my tunic. I stand triumphantly looking down at the beast that has caused so much misery.

From the triumphant sounds coming from Johanna and Finnick I can only assume that they too have been victorious and they are left with a moaning, but still alive footman. However my senses are distracted from them as I hear the sound of a small cry.

I peer into the carriage to try and locate the sound and spy a pile of clothing in the dark corner. I heave the heavy wolf off the side of the carriage and push my way inside. The crying only grows louder as I land inside.

The dead man lies to the side of the carriage with a gaping hole in his chest and a pool of blood congealing next to him. He is dressed in fine velvet clothes and smooth leather boots signalling he is someone of importance. As I approach the crying sound I try not to think about who this man is leaving behind.

I cautiously approach the crying sound and bend down to take a closer look. I slowly pull back the piece of rich looking cloth to reveal the small form of a young child. She can be barely over 2 years old and her rich dark hair has been plaited into a simple braid that has been pinned to the top of her head. Her cheeks are ruddy and red from all her crying and her eyes are screwed tightly shut. My heart breaks for the little girl and the father she has just lost.

I tentatively reach out to try and calm her.

"Shh now. I am not going to hurt you. The wolf is gone. You are safe," I say reaching out to stroke the top of her head.

The child wails for a few more moments before the comfort of my touch begins to soother her. Her cries turn to whimpers as she quietens down and begins to settle. I smile sweetly at her as I do so and tip her head up to encourage her to look at me.

However once she opens her eyes my heart stops.

Staring back up at me are a matching pair of my own blue eyes.

My breathing starts to get heavier as I twist round quickly to look at the young man lying dead on the floor. I did not get a proper look at him before but now I force myself to look and I realise I recognise this man. My heart thumps in my chest.

"Peeta…" Johanna calls as she steps into the overturned carriage. "I think you should see this."

She hands me the banner that had been flying from the carriage. It is a royal blue banner with a gold mockingjay embroidered on to it. The banner of the royal family.

I stare at the banner as I let all the facts sink in. Johanna looks at me sympathetically before she notices the little girl for the first time. Her eyes widen in shock when she sees the brilliant blue eyes of the child. She turns back to me with a shocked expression.

We have just saved Princess Primrose of District 12. We have just saved Katniss's daughter.

* * *

I sit with the child swaddled in my cloak as I ride with her towards the palace gates. She has long since fallen asleep and sits with her head tucked against my chest. My arms are wrapped tightly around her. I do not dare let her go.

As much as I have tried to ignore the rumours about the young princess the circumstances surrounding her birth have not escaped my notice. She was born 9 months after the day I watched Katniss leave. She has eyes that are as blue as the clearest and purest sapphires. THer name Primrose that matches the flowers that Katniss conjured during our love making.

I have not dared let myself question her parentage. I had already lost Katniss. I could not even contemplate losing a daughter I could never know. But with her big blue eyes and her wrapped here in my arms I cannot ignore the truth. I have to accept what deep down I have always known.

Primrose is my daughter.

Finnick and Johanna have said nothing of this fact but one look into my daughter's eyes confirms their suspicions. They flank either side of me with Finnick pulling a cart with the dead King's body on it as we ride on horses back to the palace. We have sent a local village boy ahead to announce the wolves attack on the carriage and to have the palace prepare for our arrival.

The princess seems physically unharmed but the emotional trauma of seeing the King being mauled by the beast will leave lasting scars. I know from experience that those images will not just disappear. I wish I could reach into her mind and pull those images out. I do not want her to have to grow up with these nightmares. I already want to keep her safe and naïve as long as possible.

She stirs slightly in her sleep and buries herself closer into my chest. My arms instinctively wrap closer round her and I take a moment to inhale her sweet scent of honey and lemon. I let out a heavy sigh after she has settled. I do not how I am going to let her go.

It surprises me just how fiercely and deeply I love her already. It was like the second I realised she was mine an unbreakable string attached itself from my heart to hers. It is a love like no other. The moment she trusted me enough to pick her up and wrapped her hands around my neck I was bound to her. I know the rest of my life will be spent protecting her, even if it is from a far.

I am so caught up in her that I do not even have time to ponder the thought of seeing Katniss again. When it became apparent the royal nature of the occupants of the carriage we had no choice but to escort the young princess and the dead King's body back to the palace. After 3 years of not even a glimpse of Katniss I would have expected my gut to be twisted in nervous butterflies but all I care about is the safety of the sleeping child in my arms.

The gleaming gold towers of the royal palace tower over us as we make our way up the grassy hill. The clear glass of the windows shine in the sunlight and an army of guards loom down on us with bows raised. The grandeur of the palace intimidates me. I have never come across such wealth and luxury. It only proves as a reminder of how different our circumstances are. How I can never be hers.

I announce our arrival and purpose to the custodian at the gate. The guard narrows his eyes at the sleeping bundle in my arms and then to the make shift cart where the King's dead body lies. The guard nods his head in confirmation and gestures for the large metal gate to be raised.

Slowly Finnick, Johanna and I ride into the open courtyard. Finnick pulls the cart with the King's body in as I pull the my daughter closer to me.

My eyes are immediately drawn to the frantically pacing young woman on the other side of the courtyard. Her dark hair is mussed and frayed out of its original elegant knot. Her grey eyes are wide with panic and fear.

She is still as beautiful as the last time I left her.

At the sound of the horses' hooves she looks up and towards us. Her eyes immediately focus in on her daughter that lies in my arms. She doesn't even stop to look at anyone else before she is rushing ungainly towards me.

She lifts the small child out of my arms without even a glance at me as she smoothes her daughter's hair back and checks for any signs of harm. The little girl opens her eyes and squeals in delight at the sight of her mother.

"Mama!" the girl exclaims.

Katniss lets out an audible sigh of relief.

"Oh Primrose! Thank goodness! I was so worried. I am so sorry Mama was not there. I will never let you out of my sight again!" Katniss exclaims.

She holds our daughter's head to her chest as she begins rocking her back and forth protectively. She closes her eyes as she sighs in relief again. I can only iamgine how frantic she has been this last hour.

Eventually Primrose seems to fall asleep again and Katniss nuzzles her nose into her hair to inhale her scent and savour the feeling of having her safe in her arms. Finally she opens her eyes again and raises them to look at me.

Now Primrose is safe with her mother I have time to feel the nerves at seeing Katniss again. It has been three years. She has been married to another man for those 3 years. I do not know how she will react.

When her eyes do finally land on me she freezes and her eyes go wide. All the colour drains from her face as her eyes lock onto mine. I smile at her weakly.

"The Princess is unharmed. She is safe," I say softly.

Katniss says nothing in reply as she continues to stare at me silently. She pulls Primrose closer to her chest as she continues to look at me in disbelief. There are a thousand things I want to say her but can't in this moment.

Eventually her stare is interrupted when a middle aged woman with white blonde hair and too much paint on her face trots over to us and steps beside Katniss.

"We have prepared rooms for our guests, your Grace. We must let them bathe and rest before you speak with them. I assume you will want to reward them handsomely," the woman says.

Katniss can only give a curt nod of the head as she carries on searching my features as if she is trying to figure out if I am real or a hallucination.

I do not get a chance say anything to her as a page comes over to me and ushers me off my horse. I am escorted by a palace guard to our new chambers and away from Katniss and my daughter.

* * *

They take Finnick, Johanna and I to a grand room in the back of the palace. The large glass windows are south facing and let in lots of light. There are 3 soft large beds with plump pillows and silk sheets. There is already a large marble bath tub filled with stemming hot water and the scents of lavender.

Johanna smiles giddily as the palace escort shows us the room. As soon as the escort has left Johanna takes a running jump and bounces up and down on one of the beds. She stretches back down on the silky sheets and runs her hands over them.

"Now I see why Princess complained so much those first few weeks she was with us. If I had slept on these sheets all my life I would have done everything in my power to escape and run back to them. I wouldn't need a man if I had these sheets wrapped around me!" Johanna exclaims wrapping the sheets around her body.

Finnick chuckles as he takes a seat on a ornate wooden chair.

"I want the bath first. My balls haven't had a proper clean in weeks!"Finnick says.

I let myself have a small smile as I continue to stand and take in my surroundings. My feeling of inadequacy returns. I can never compete with this wealth. My love for Katniss was doomed from the start.

Johanna notices my forlorn expression and gives me a sympathetic smile as she sits up.

"How are you coping with seeing her again?" she asks.

I shrug my shoulders before answering.

"I am fine," I state non-committally.

Johanna and Finnick see right through my lie and roll their eyes.

"Bullshit," Johanna states. "You have never been able to get over her. She looked like a ghost when she saw you. She did not even look over to her dead husband. She still loves you as much as she did back then."

"What does it matter? Nothing has changed. I am still not worthy for her," I say despondently

Finnick and Johanna give me yet more sympathetic looks.

"Some things have changed," Finnick says quietly.

I scoff and shake my head.

"I apologise. You are right. Something has changed. Now not only do I have to leave behind the love of my life but I have leave behind my daughter as well," I reply bitterly.

This silences them both and they look down guiltily. Neither of them can fully understand the torment I am going through. Finnick may not have Annie the way he wants but he at least gets small moments with her. Moments when she is all his. And Johanna hasn't even been in love. Neither knows what it is like to live without part of your soul.

We are interrupted from our conversation by a knock on the door. Another palace escort opens the door and greets us with a bow. We tip our heads in acknowledgement.

The escort straightens up before addressing us.

"Her Royal Highness, The Queen requests to have an audience with you. Once you are suitably refreshed I am to escort you to her," the escort says.

Johanna and Finnick both look across at me nervously. I try to ignore the thumping in my chest as I tell the escort we will notify him when we are ready. I could have all the time in the world but know it wouldn't be enough to prepare me for seeing her.

* * *

A short while later the three of us stand outside the Queen's door waiting to be invited in. A palace guard opens the door and gestures us in. Katniss sits on a grand wooden chair by a large oak desk. She wears a heavy violet dress that exposes the tops of her shoulders and collarbone. A few tendrils of her hair fall neatly curled around her neck. I gulp as my heart pounds at the sight of her.

We bow on our arrival and she tips her head in acknowledgement. She thanks the escort and guards and requests a private audience with us. The guards bow in leaving and Katniss gets up to greet us properly.

"I cannot thank you enough for saving Primrose. She is my entire life," she says earnestly before she allows a small smile to grace her lips. "It seems I cannot stop owing you for saving and protecting me."

Finnick and Johanna grin.

"We only save the really pretty ones," Finnick replies with a cheeky smile. "And you have saved our lives enough times to owe us nothing."

Katniss smiles in return and then looks between us all in disbelief that we are all standing here together again.

"We are only sorry that we couldn't save the King," Johanna says more solemnly.

Katniss looks down with a sad look.

"I heard he died protecting Primrose. He would have been happy that she is safe and alive," Katniss replies her eyes flitting over and holding my gaze for a moment before I can't take the intensity of it and look away.

I can feel hr gaze on me for a moment longer before she turns back to Finnick and Johanna.

"Finnick, I have arranged for a sample of chocolate delights to be sent to your chambers. I assume you still have not had the luxury to sample some," she says with a grin.

Finnick's eyes light up at the mention of the sugary treat and he licks his lips in anticipation.

"And that is the reason you are the best queen District 12 has ever had!" Finnick exclaims as he wraps his arms around her and lifts her up in a tight embrace. Katniss giggles as he puts her back down before she turns to Johanna.

"Johanna there is an enormous pile of wood outside and a range of axes for you to try. Happy chopping," Katniss says.

There is a gleam to Johanna's eyes as she begins asking about the different makes of axes and Katniss just stands amused as she answers all of Johanna's questions.

Once Johanna has exhausted all her possible questions the room falls silent as Katniss then turns to me with a small smile. She has given Johanna and Finnick what they want most in the palace but she must know she cannot give me what I desire.

Finnick and Johanna look at us full of pity. The atmosphere in the room grows uncomfortable as no one can find the right words to say. I can feel Katniss's eyes on me but I do not dare look back at her. My heart is hammering from being in such close proximity of her again and I am afraid it will explode if I look at her.

Eventually Johanna and Finnick declare they want to sample out their rewards and make their excuses to leave. Katniss and I watch them walk out the door, closing it behind them and leaving us alone.

The silence in the room is deafening. I am only aware of the pounding of blood in my ears as I finally force myself to look at Katniss again. She stands on the other side of the room with a sorrow filled gaze.

"I am not used to you being so quiet. Words have always been your forte," she says as a weak joke.

I open my mouth to say something but I still can't find the words. I open and close it like a fish for a few moments before settling on something to say.

"I have dreamed about this moment for so long now. I had planned all these things I would say and do if I saw you again but now that I find I am here I do not know where to start," I finally say.

Katniss gives me a small smile and a nod of the head. The silence returns again. I still cannot articulate everything I want to say to her.

"I am sorry about the King," I state at a loss of anything better to say.

Katniss lets out an annoyed huff and shakes her head at me. She looks back at me with the familiar fire behind her eyes. Clearly this was the wrong thing to say.

"After 3 years that is the first thing you say to me? To give your condolences about a man I did not even love?" she says angrily as she takes a few angry steps towards me.

"You did not love him?" I ask my heart pounding even faster in my chest.

I realise this has been one of my greatest fears; that she would have done what I could not and fall for someone else.

"How can you ask me that?" she demands angrily.

She has made her way over to me now and stands in front of me nose to nose. Her scent of pine and sandalwood invades my senses. I have to stop myself from grabbing her and immersing myself completely in her. Her fire that has so infuriated and yet intrigued me is fully evident as she stands in front of me with her eyes blazing. I can tell my question has greatly insulted her.

"I gave my heart to you a long time ago. It has always been yours. It will always be yours," she says passionately.

I cannot refrain from touching her any longer and I reach out to gently caress her cheek. She immediately softens at my touch and she sighs as she closes her eyes and my thumb sweeps across her cheek.

"And my heart belongs to you," I state firmly. "I cannot forget you. I don't want to forget you. I hear you in the mockingjay song. I see your smile in the sunset. I feel your touch in my dreams. I love you so much that I cannot decide if seeing you is a blessing or a curse. It nearly broke me the last time I had to watch you leave. I do not know if my heart can handle leaving you again."

Katniss lifts her hand to place it over the one that cradles her cheek. She inhales deeply as she nods her head in understanding.

"I am so proud of you for what you have achieved. What you have done for the people of this District is remarkable. The people love and adore you. As much as I want to take you with me I know this is your rightful place," I say sadly.

Katniss looks up at me with pained filled eyes. She knows it's true. That me being here now changes nothing. That we still can't be together. She nods her head and lets out a melancholic sigh.

"Now ask me about Primrose," she says with a sad look.

I smile and bend down to kiss the inside of one of her wrists.

"I don't need to. She looks just like you Katniss. The dark hair and the rosebud lips. She is beautiful," I state as I run a finger down one of the loose tendrils of her hair.

"She has you eyes," Katniss replies with a smile. "And your smile. My heart stops every time I see it. She is the perfect little piece of you."

I lean my head forward to rest against hers. I close my eyes to stop the tears that threaten to fall.

Katniss sighs heavily.

"I have complete faith that you will raise our daughter to be as strong and brave as her mother," I say.

Katniss gives me a small sad smile. We are standing completely wrapped up in each other. I was not even conscious that we had gotten so close. There is an invisible force that draws us together.

"I desperately want to kiss you," I sigh as I feel Katniss's heavy breaths fan my face. "But I can't put my heart through that pain."

Katniss closes her eyes as she nods her head in understanding. I inhale her sweet scent for one last time before I place a chaste kiss on her cheek and reluctantly pull away.

I turn to walk out the door, leaving her behind as the first tear rolls down my cheek.

* * *

**A/N: Oh man. I hate what I am doing to these two right now. But the next chapter will be a lot more upbeat. Their happy ending is very close. I hope you all enjoy.**


	16. Chapter 16

_Chapter 15_

_Peeta_

Finnick, Johanna and I are requested to stay for the entire week as we are rewarded with gold and forced to attend feasts in our honour. King Gale's funeral is arranged for the following Monday and we have been asked personally to attend by the Royal family.

I see little of Katniss during the week. I purposely keep my distance from her in fear of opening more wounds in my heart. It is almost too cruel to be near her and not be allowed to have her.

She is busy herself with the preparations for the funeral and her various palace commitments. I pass her occasionally in the grand hallways wearing the traditional mourning black but we exchange nothing more than a polite nod of the head and pain filled gaze.

To pass the time I busy myself with Finnick and Johanna as we are given tours of the palace grounds and demonstrations on how to use various weapons in the palace armoury. We are all given custom made weapons and Johanna delights in testing out her new axe in the woods that border the palace. I find her method of hacking at wood a good way to relieve all the built up stress I have gathered from being near Katniss again.

The worse days are when I catch Katniss and Primrose playing together in the palace gardens. Katniss always ensures she spends some time alone with Primrose every day. I have often caught them chasing each other through the palace trees or inspecting the insects they find in the rose bushes.

The smile on both their faces melts my heart as I watch them play. Primrose shrieks with delight whenever they discover something new. They clearly have a close bond. I often spy them with their heads bent together and exchanging hushed whispers. Secrets that they are only privy to know.

She is so much like Katniss. The stubborn stamp of the foot when something doesn't go her way. The way her eyes crinkle when she laughs. The way the birds stop to listen when she sings.

But I see myself in her too. The attentive way she listens to others. The way she chatters at a hundred miles a minute. My heart beams with pride as she seems to have encapsulated all our best qualities to become a lively and caring child.

It's hard to watch because I so desperately want to be part of the picture. I want to join in with their games and adventures. I want to make Primrose laugh and giggle. I thought letting Katniss go was the hardest thing I would ever have to do but not being able to get to know my daughter is a thousand times harder. I am jealous that King Gale got to spend 2 years with her. Jealous that she called him Papa. Jealous that he got to tell her he loved her.

It hurts beyond belief to know Primrose will never know how much I love her.

The day of the funeral arrives and the weather is cold and grey. It perfectly reflects the mood of the palace. The normally brightly coloured drapes and tapestries have all been replaced wit those of mourning black. White lilies are the only flowers that line the walls. Everywhere you turn you are met with sombre faces and sad eyes.

I tried to ignore most of the stories about the King that came from the palace. I did not want to be reminded that Katniss was now with another. I did not want to hear how much he was the perfect King for her. But I am aware that he was well loved by the people of District 12.

It was hard for him not to be. With his dark hair, olive skin and grey eyes that so closely matched Katniss's everyone agree that they were a handsome couple. Gale was everything they could want in a King; handsome, brave and loyal. They celebrated him as much as they did their Queen and will mourn him as they would Katniss.

Finnick, Johanna and I stand in the pews solemnly as we watch the King's open casket be marched down the aisle of the church. Hundreds of wildflowers surround the King's body and he is draped in a cloak with the royal sigils. His swords and shield are laid across his chest. A lone trumpeter plays a sorrowful tune as heads and eyes turn to follow the late King as he makes his final journey.

The Royal family follow behind. Katniss leads the front clutching Primrose's hand tightly. Since I have arrived at the palace I have often searched Primrose's features for signs of any mental trauma the wolf mutts may have caused her. I hate to think that she has nightmares about it. I hate to think she may be upset because she lost her "father". But she seems to be a remarkably resilient little girl. The times I has seen her Katniss has always made sure she is having too much fun to dwell on past incidents.

Primrose has a frown on her face today and I can tell she doesn't quite understand what is happening. I desperately want to wrap her in my arms and shield her from this. Everyone stares at her with pity as I hear them mumble how tragic it is that she will grow up without a father to protect her. My heart clenches at their words.

Katniss's father is wheeled behind in a specially made chair. It is the first appearance I have seen of him at the palace. I have heard that his lungs have deteriorated greatly and that he rarely has enough strength to get out of bed. He looks pale and sickly as he is pushed behind the casket. His once dark hair has gone completely grey and the skin seems to hang off his bones. I realise that Katniss will not have much time left with her father.

The casket reaches the end of the aisle and the Royal family take their seats. The bishop clears his throat and the ceremony begins.

I keep my eyes on Katniss and Primrose throughout the whole ceremony. Katniss may have assured me that she did not love Gale but it is clear that she cared from him as a friend. She fixes her eyes on the bishop as he talks about the King's accomplishments. Primrose tries her hardest to sit still as she realises the importance of the event and sombre attitude of the adults present. Katniss reaches out to stroke her head in a gesture so intimate and comforting that it pulls on my heart strings.

When the bishop starts talking about the love King Gale has left behind Katniss turns her eyes towards me and catches my gaze. Our eyes lock into place as the bishop talks about the importance of finding and sharing love with another person. Katniss looks at me sadly as we silently agree with the words the bishop is saying. I take a deep breath as I try to keep my emotions under control.

Katniss gives me another sad and longing look before turning back to look at the bishop. I keep my eyes on her a moment longer before I start to feel the stare of someone else on me. I turn to meet the curious grey stare of Katniss's father.

He furrows his brows in confusion as he studies me carefully before looking quickly back over to his daughter. My entire body freezes as he looks back with a new found realisation.

* * *

Later I sit in my chambers in the palace after the funeral feast. It has been a long and emotionally draining day and I want nothing more than to curl up in the silk sheets and hopefully drift into a dreamless slumber. Finnick and Johanna are still enjoying the festivities below and I savour a rare moment of quiet.

However just I am about to prepare myself for bed there is a knocking on the door. I open the door to find a palace guard on the other side. He bows to me before straightening up and greeting me.

"King Everdeen requests an audience with you Mr Mellark," the guard announces.

My heart drops a little at the guard's words. I have been worrying about the look the King gave me at the funeral for hours. I do not want him to know about my feelings for his daughter. It could have serious consequences. I nervously nod my head and follow the guard to the King's quarters.

I am ushered into the room and I am immediately hit by the warmth of it. There is a large fire roaring and the King sits in his bed with a thick shawl around him. The mere act of sitting up even seems to be a tiring task for him. He looks exhausted and seems to find it difficult to breathe. His breaths come out in a wheezy pattern. It is strange to see a man who once had so much power so weak and vulnerable in front of me.

The guard introduces me to the King and I bow in greeting. The guard exits the room leaving me alone with the former King.

He gestures for me to take a seat in the chair next to him. I nervously take a perch on the seat as I try to stop my foot and hands twitching.

"Thank you for coming to meet with me," The King states. "I have a lot to thank you for."

I smile at him a little tentatively.

"I cannot thank you enough for saving my granddaughter. I hear you were the one that killed the beast that killed Gale. I must praise you for your bravery," he says.

"I was only doing my duty. Anyone would have done the same if they were in that position," I reply.

The King gives me a knowing smile.

"Even more so when their daughter's life is at risk," he states looking at me with a knowing smile.

My heart stops at the implication of his words. I wonder what Katniss has told him. I know that I could be hung for my role in Primrose's conception.

"I do not think I understand what you are implying," I say.

The King lets out a small laugh that soon turns into a coughing fit. My eyes go wide in fear for the King's health and I reach over to hand him a goblet of water that rests by his beside. He tips the liquid down his throat with shaky hands and places the cup back down before turning to look at me again. I continue to stare at him warily.

"I am not a foolish man. I saw the changes in my daughter when she returned to us 3 years ago. She was more sure of herself. Braver. Stronger. But there was also a sadness behind her eyes that I did not understand. It was only after Primrose was born and I saw my granddaughters eyes that I was able to take a guess of what was causing my daughter so much sorrow and longing," the King says.

I look down now embarrassed. I do not want him to think I took advantage of his daughter. But I do not know if I can make him understand exactly why I love her.

"I had never seen such blue eyes before," he adds. "That was until I saw you today."

The King gives me a knowing smile. My heart hammers in my chest. I am rendered speechless.

"How long have you been in love with my daughter?" the King asks.

The gentleness in his voice surprises me and I force myself to look at him. He smiles at me sadly and I realise that he is not angry at me for falling in love with his daughter. His watery grey eyes are kind and I find that I don't want to lie to him.

"Since about a week after I met her," I reply honestly.

"And that was when she went missing 3 years ago?" the King asks for confirmation.

I nod my head and briefly explain that we had captured her to keep her safe from the Tribute witches. The King seems shocked by the news of his wife's heritage and the danger this put his daughter in but he seems to understand our reasoning for taking Katniss.

"I have even more to thank you for. It seems you have been protecting my family for some time," he says after I have finished explaining.

There is a pause as he lets this new information sink in.

"Katniss's happiness has always been of the up most importance to me. I will do anything to ensure she gets it. I thought I had made a good match for her when she married Gale. He was brave and handsome and treated her kindly but I see now that she could never give him her heart. It already belonged to you," the King states.

I nod my head.

"I did not mean to fall in love with her. She just crept up on me," I reply. "I love her for her courage and her loyalty and her kindness. I will never be able to stop loving her. I will never be able to stop loving Primrose."

The King nods his head pensively.

"But I know my place in their lives. I have come to terms with loving them from afar," I add bowing my head in sadness.

The King does not say anything for a moment as he studies my forlorn face.

"I know my daughter has already rewarded you with gold and fine weaponry but I would like to give you my own reward. I gift of gratitude for loving and protecting both my daughter and granddaughter," the Kings finally says.

He shifts slightly in his bed to reach for a roll of parchment. He grimaces slightly due to the movement before handing it to me.

I look at him questioningly as I take the parchment off him and read the elegant scrawl on the beige paper. My eyebrows furrow in confusion.

_I, His Royal Highness, King Heath Everdeen of District 12 hereby declare Peeta Mellark of Seam as the 28__th__ Duke of Heavensbee._

"I had these papers drawn up this morning. Plutarch Heavensbee is an old friend of mine and is willing to declare you as he long lost illegitimate son from his affair with a milk maid. As he has no other living heirs he is willing to declare you as his next in line to his lands," the King says after he sees my confusion.

This only causes me to become more confused. I do not understand why he is doing this. I should be hung for what I did with his daughter yet he is giving me a title and lands.

"I cannot accept this. It is too much and completely undeserved. I am too common for such an honour," I reply.

The King gives me a knowing smile before he answers.

"I believe you will accept my gift," he replies confidently. "You see a Phantom Hunter cannot marry the Queen of District 12 but a Duke can."

* * *

I stand outside the door of Primrose's nursery with the King's parchment strapped safely in my pocket. I am still in a daze after my conversation with Katniss's father. I still can't believe I am standing outside this door with this question on my lips.

I announce my intention to the guard at the door and he nods his head in approval as he moves out the way to let me enter the room.

Once the door is open I am met with the sight of Katniss and Primrose sitting in the middle of the floor with an array of beautifully carved farm yard animals scattered around them. Primrose is making various animal noises as she picks up different ones and makes them trot around the room. Katniss sits back with a content smile on her face as she watches our daughter amuse herself.

On my arrival her attention is turned away and she looks up at me a little surprised. The guard announces my arrival and intention before bowing to Katniss and exiting the room.

For a moment all that can be heard are Primrose's imitations of cows as Katniss and I stare at each other silently. Eventually I take a deep breath and bend down to pass Primrose one of her toys. After spending a week forcing myself to stay away from her I am going to take this opportunity to spend some time with her.

"Hello," I say. Primrose turns to look at me curiously. "Do you remember me? I was the one who brought you back to the palace last week."

Primrose studies me carefully for a few moments before nodding her head.

Katniss is watching me cautiously as I interact with Primrose. She does not understand why I am here. Primrose looks towards her mother to check that she is allowed to speak with me. Katniss nods warily and Primrose turns back around and shoves a toy horse in my face.

"Horsey!" Primrose exclaims while waving the toy in front of my face.

"Neigh! Neigh!" she then says trying to imitate the horse

I chuckle at her enthusiasm.

Katniss still sits dazed and confused about why I am here.

I turn back to look at Primrose and bend down to her eye level.

"How about I give you a pony ride now? You can ride on my back and pretend that you are on a real horse," I suggest.

Primrose's big blue eyes light up in excitement at my idea and she nods her head enthusiastically.

I get onto my hands and knees and encourage her to hop on. She does so eagerly with the help of Katniss and she grabs on tightly to my shoulders as I begin taking her round the room.

Primrose shrieks with delight as she demands for me to go faster and encourages me to make neighing noises.

I chuckle as I carry her round the room and even Katniss seems to jump out of her daze and is able to laugh along with us.

The thrill of being able to act this way with Primrose is exhilarating. Every little shriek or giggle she produces is like a shot of pure happiness that settles in my heart and makes it swell with pride and joy. I want many more moments like this. I can finally have more moments like this.

Eventually I tire from carrying her about and tell her I have to stop. Primrose moans a little in protest but Katniss soon puts a stop to it by stating that we need to respect our guest's wishes. Primrose grumbles a little more before tottering off to play with her wooden animals again as I collapse on the ground.

I am left sitting staring at Katniss and I know this is the time I have to tell her the why I am here.

"What happened about staying away from me? I thought you said it was too hard to be near me," she says.

I take a deep breath and move so I am sitting next to her. She looks at me questioningly, her eyes demanding answers.

"I no longer have to put myself through that torture," I say softly.

Katniss shakes her head in confusion and I go to take her hand in mine. I rub circles over her palm with my thumb as I prepare myself for what I am going to say next. Katniss looks down at the feel of my touch. Primrose continues to play in the corner completely oblivious to her parents' conversation.

"Your father noticed us looking at each other during the King's funeral. He knows the truth about how we feel about each other. The truth of Primrose's parentage," I begin.

Katniss's eyes widen in panic and worry.

"He loves you so much Katniss. He would do anything to ensure your happiness. Even forging documents stating I am a Duke," I continue.

Katniss's eyes now widen in surprise as I pull out the parchment from my pocket and hand it to her. Her head moves side to side as she reads it and she gasps as she understands its meaning. She looks up at me in disbelief once she has finished.

I now reach up to cup her cheek in my hand.

"Never has there been a girl who has infuriated and endeared me in such equal measures. I was powerless to stop myself from falling in love with you. I will always love you. My life's mission will be to make you and Primrose happy," I state.

Katniss smiles at me lovingly as I speak. There are many questions she will want answers to but in this moment she knows not to ask them.

I look deep into her steel grey eyes as I prepare myself for the question I have been dying to ask her for over 3 years. My other hand slides up to hold her head in place as she looks up at me hopefully.

"I couldn't ask you this while I was a poor Phantom Hunter, but you father has given me this amazing gift and privilege. Now, in the eyes of the palace at least, I am worthy enough for your love," I state. I pause before I ask my next question. "So Katniss Everdeen will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?"

The smile on Katniss's face is enormous as she nods her head frantically in reply.

"Yes," she says nuzzling her nose into the palm of my hand. "Yes. A thousand times yes."

I cannot stop the grin on my face from reaching up to my ears as I lean my forehead against hers and inhale her sweet scent. She sighs contentedly before lifting her lips to meet mine in a searing kiss. I smile into the kiss in disbelief that I have got everything that I thought I could only dream of.

* * *

**A/N: Yey! They finally got their happy ending! Good old Mr Everdeen coming to the rescue. I hope after all the pain I put them through that you enjoyed the ending. This is the last chapter of the story. An epilogue will follow next week.**

**Thank you so much to everyone that reviewed/followed/favourited this story. Writing would be so much harder without you support.**


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